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MaineLD 2236132nd Maine Legislature (2025-2026)House

An Act Regarding Public Records Maintained by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

Sponsored By: Sponsor information unavailable

Signed by Governor

INLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE DEPTINLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE DEPT - ADMINISTRATION

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

4 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 2 costs, 2 mixed.

Record requesters can face uncapped fees

The Department may charge reasonable fees for individual records and whole or partial databases. The Bureau of Warden Service may also charge reasonable fees for snowmobile and ATV crash data. Requesters pay these costs, and copy charges are exempt from the usual limits in Maine’s public-records fee law. This law sets no dollar amount or fee cap, but fees must be reasonable.

Criminal penalties cover crash reporting violations

The law establishes Class E crimes tied to reportable snowmobile and ATV crashes. Knowingly failing to provide a correct name and address when an involved operator requests them at the scene is a crime. Operators and owners must produce the involved vehicle when the investigating officer requests it. Knowingly failing to do so, or to return an operational vehicle to the scene when requested, is a crime. Anyone obtaining a registration number under these rules commits a crime by knowingly using it to identify or contact someone. Knowingly sharing that number with another person is also a crime.

Snowmobile and ATV crash records restricted

Snowmobile and ATV crash reports, statements, and related decisions are confidential. They generally cannot be trial evidence about the crash, except to prove compliance with the reporting law. The Game Warden Colonel may release the crash date, time, and location. The Colonel may also release names and addresses of operators, owners, injured people, witnesses, and the investigating officer. The investigating officer’s report is available at the Colonel’s discretion on written request, at the requester’s expense. The Bureau of Warden Service may release non-identifying data, but must protect identifying details, including registration numbers, insurance numbers, and narrative fields. Before receiving a registration number, requesters must file an affidavit promising not to identify or contact anyone or share the number.

Wildlife records gain privacy, retain exceptions

Maine’s Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife must protect personal details in its paper and electronic records. Covered records include licenses, permits, registrations, harvest records, applications, and business records. Protected details include Social Security numbers, birth dates, driver’s license numbers, taxpayer numbers, online-system identifiers, and contact details. For business records, phone numbers, email addresses, and physical addresses are not protected as personal details. The Department may share protected details for listed law-enforcement, wildlife-management, and government purposes, or with the person or their agent. It may release non-identifying data and, as an exception, names and mailing addresses from licenses, permits, and registrations. Protected details remain confidential until the records are 100 years old, despite general archive-release rules.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsors

There is no primary sponsor on record.

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

Actions Timeline

  1. Signed by Governor, ACTPUB Chapter 692

    4/13/2026

  2. PASSED TO BE ENACTED, in concurrence.

    4/9/2026Senate

  3. PASSED TO BE ENACTED. Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

    4/8/2026House

  4. Reports READOn motion by Senator BALDACCI of Penobscot the Majority Ought to Pass as Amended Report ACCEPTED. READ ONCE Committee Amendment "A" (H-976) READ House Amendment "A" (H-994) to Committee Amendment "A" (H-986) READ and ADOPTED Committee Amendment "A" (H-986) as Amended by House Amendment "A" (H-994) thereto ADOPTED Under suspension of the Rules, READ A SECOND TIME and PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED AS AMENDED by Committee Amendment "A" (H-986) as Amended by House Amendment "A" (H-994) thereto in concurrence.

    4/8/2026Senate

  5. Reports READ.On motion of Representative ROBERTS of South Berwick, the Majority Ought to Pass as Amended Report was ACCEPTED.The Bill was READ ONCE.Committee Amendment "A" (H-986) was READ.On motion of Representative ROBERTS of South Berwick, House Amendment "A" (H-994) to Committee Amendment "A" (H-986) was READ and ADOPTED.Committee Amendment "A" (H-986) as Amended by House Amendment "A" (H-994) thereto was ADOPTED. Under suspension of the rules, the Bill was given its SECOND READING without REFERENCE to the Committee on Bills in the Second Reading.The Bill was PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED as Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (H-986) as Amended by House Amendment "A" (H-994) thereto.Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

    4/7/2026House

  6. Report READ and ACCEPTED, in concurrence.On motion by Senator Baldacci of Penobscot REFERRED to Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, in concurrence.

    3/17/2026Senate

  7. Representative ROBERTS for the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife pursuant to Resolve 2025, chapter 37, section 6 reports that the Bill be REFERRED to the Committee on INLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE and printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218.Report was READ and ACCEPTED.The Bill was REFERRED to the Committee on INLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFESent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

    3/17/2026House

Bill Text

  • Amendment C-A (H-986), adopted by House & Senate

    PDF

  • Amendment H-A to C-A (H-994), adopted by House & Senate

    PDF

  • Enacted

    PDF

  • Introduced

    PDF

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