‘An Act To Provide Training for Forest Rangers To Carry Firearms’
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §8901, sub-§1, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 267, Pt. Z, §1, is amended to read:
A. The forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry shall employ no fewer than 45 and no more than 50 forest rangers classified as Forest Ranger II to serve as wildfire control specialists and forestry law enforcement officers, and no fewer than 17 forest rangers classified as follows: 3 Regional Rangers, 8 District Rangers, one Forest Fire Prevention Specialist, one Ranger Pilot Supervisor and 4 Ranger Pilots. Each forest ranger and the state supervisor of the forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry must , at a minimum, be a graduate of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy's law enforcement preservice program or equivalent meet the training requirements of Title 25, section 2804-L.
Sec. 2. 25 MRSA §2801-B, sub-§1, ¶C, as amended by PL 2015, c. 267, Pt. CC, §1, is further amended to read:
C. An agent or a representative of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Bureau of Forestry whose law enforcement powers are limited to those specified by The state supervisor of the forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry or a forest ranger appointed under Title 12, section 8901 , subsection 3 and who does not carry a firearm;
Sec. 3. 25 MRSA §2803-A, sub-§8-D is enacted to read:
8-D. Training of forest rangers. To establish certification standards and a training program for the state supervisor of the forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and forest rangers appointed under Title 12, section 8901. This program must include:
A. Preservice law enforcement training under section 2804-B;
B. An additional basic forest ranger training program developed by the state supervisor of the forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and approved by the board that is specific to the duties of a forest ranger;
C. In-service law enforcement training that is specifically approved by the board as prescribed in section 2804-E; and
D. A firearms training program equivalent to a firearms training program of a full-time law enforcement officer trained at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy that is developed and approved by the board.
Forest rangers are exempt from section 2804-C, but completion of basic training under section 2804-C exempts a person from the preservice training requirement under paragraph A;
Sec. 4. 25 MRSA §2804-L is enacted to read:
§ 2804-L. Law enforcement training for forest rangers
Beginning July 1, 2018, all forest rangers and the state supervisor of the forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry must successfully complete the training requirements established under section 2803-A, subsection 8-D.
Sec. 5. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF
Division of Forest Protection Z232
Initiative: Provides appropriations for the purchase of firearms, ammunition, holsters and lockboxes, and for training and overtime staffing costs associated with a firearms training program for forest rangers.
| GENERAL FUND | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|
Personal Services
|
$25,065 | $0 |
|
All Other
|
$71,872 | $4,225 |
 |
|
|
| GENERAL FUND TOTAL | $96,937 | $4,225 |
Forest Health and Monitoring Z233
Initiative: Provides appropriations for the purchase of firearms, ammunition, holsters and lockboxes, and for training and overtime staffing costs associated with a firearms training program for forest rangers.
| GENERAL FUND | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|
Personal Services
|
$10,238 | $0 |
|
All Other
|
$29,356 | $1,726 |
|
|
|
| GENERAL FUND TOTAL | $39,594 | $1,726 |
| AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF | ||
| DEPARTMENT TOTALS | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|
GENERAL FUND
|
$136,531 | $5,951 |
|
|
|
| DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS | $136,531 | $5,951 |
summary
This amendment strikes and replaces the bill. The amendment amends the powers and duties of the Board of Trustees of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to include that the board establish certification standards and a training program for forest rangers and the state supervisor of the forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. The training program must include preservice law enforcement training under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 25, section 2804-B; an additional basic forest ranger training program developed by the state supervisor of the forest protection unit of the Bureau of Forestry within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and approved by the board that is specific to the duties of a forest ranger; in-service law enforcement training that is specifically approved by the board as prescribed in Title 25, section 2804-E; and a firearms training program equivalent to a firearms training program of a full-time law enforcement officer trained at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy that is developed and approved by the board. The training program exempts forest rangers from basic law enforcement training and other requirements under Title 25, section 2804-C, but completion of the basic training under section 2804-C exempts a person from the preservice training requirement.
The training program satisfies requirements necessary for forest rangers to carry firearms in the course of their duties. The amendment also specifies that beginning July 1, 2018, all forest rangers and the state supervisor must successfully complete the training requirements established under Title 25, section 2803-A, subsection 8-D, which provides the department and the board time to develop and implement the training.
The amendment also adds an appropriations and allocations section.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)