Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §15202, sub-§5, as amended by PL 1999, c. 386, Pt. X, §2, is further amended to read:

5. Elevator. "Elevator" includes an escalator or a manlift and means a guided hoisting and lowering mechanism equipped with a car, platform or load-carrying unit, including doors, well, enclosures, means and appurtenances. "Elevator" does not include an inclined stairway chairlift, a conveyor, chain or bucket hoist or a tiering, piling or feeding device.

Sec. 2. 32 MRSA §15202, sub-§7-A-1 is enacted to read:

7-A-1.__Inclined stairway chairlift. "Inclined stairway chairlift" means a device used to transport persons with physical limitations over architectural barriers.

Sec. 3. 32 MRSA §15225-A, sub-§2-A is enacted to read:

2-A.__Annual inspection of inclined stairway chairlifts; fee.__The annual fee for the required inspections of inclined stairway chairlifts may not exceed $50.

Sec. 4. Review; report. The Board of Elevator and Tramway Safety shall review the minimum safety standards applicable to inclined stairway chairlifts published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and shall propose any changes to the laws governing the installation, operation, maintenance and use of inclined stairway chairlifts necessitated by the exclusion of inclined stairway chairlifts from the definition of elevator in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 32, section 15202, subsection 5. The board shall submit, no later than December 3, 2003, its findings, along with any necessary implementing legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development. Following receipt and review of the report, the committee may report out legislation based on the report to the Second Regular Session of the 121st Legislature.

SUMMARY

This bill removes inclined stairway chairlifts from the definition of "elevator," establishes an annual inspection fee cap of $50 for such chairlifts and directs the Board of Elevator and Tramway Safety to propose any changes to the laws governing the installation, operation, maintenance and use of such chairlifts necessitated by the exclusion of inclined stairway chairlifts from the definition of "elevator."