Sec. B-1. Commission established. The Commission to Study the Needs and Opportunities Associated with the Production of Salmonid Sport Fish in Maine, referred to in this Part as the "commission," is established.
Sec. B-2. Commission membership; appointed ad hoc and ex officio members; meetings. The commission consists of appointed members as follows:
1. Except as otherwise provided in this section, all members appointed pursuant to Resolve 1999, chapter 82, including legislative members, whether or not members of the 120th Legislature, are members of this commission;
2. The President of the Senate shall appoint 2 members of the Senate to the commission. The first Senator appointed pursuant to this subsection is the Senate chair of the commission. When making these appointments, the President of the Senate shall give preference to a Senate member of the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and a Senate member of the Joint Standing Committee on Natural Resources;
3. The Speaker of the House shall appoint a member of the House to the commission who is the House chair. When making this appointment, the Speaker of the House shall give preference to a House member of the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife; and
4. The Governor shall appoint one person to replace one of the persons appointed by the Governor under Resolve 1999, chapter 82, section 2, subsection 6 and one person to replace the person appointed by the Governor under Resolve 1999, chapter 82, section 2, subsection 9.
Upon completion of all appointments, the chairs shall call and convene the first meeting of the commission, which must be held no later than August 15, 2001.
Sec. B-3. Duties. The commission shall complete all duties prescribed in Resolve 1999, chapter 82 and shall provide oversight and policy guidance to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife with respect to the expenditure of funds appropriated by the 119th Legislature in Public Law 1999, chapter 731, Part A, section 1 and Part HHHH, section 1, for engineering design for the Embden Hatchery and a statewide assessment of all other hatchery facilities. In addition, the commission shall:
1. Continue to work with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the department's consultant to continue the work of evaluating the effluent characteristics of fish hatcheries, including private fish hatcheries, with the purpose of ensuring that the state fish hatcheries will be able to comply with licensed effluent discharge standards within 3 years and to obtain information relevant to discussions of discharge license standards for unlicensed private fish hatcheries;
2. Set statewide production goals for the number, size and species mix of recreational sport fish over a 15- to 20-year planning horizon;
3. Determine how to meet those production goals in the most cost-effective manner by evaluating all production options, including options for investing in cost-effective upgrades to existing state-owned facilities to produce more fish, closing noneconomic state-owned facilities and building new capacity in other locations in the State and purchasing fish from privately owned hatcheries; and
4. Within existing budgeted resources, undertake any studies or other activities as are necessary to complete the tasks outlined in this section and is authorized to hold 4 meetings annually.
Sec. B-4. Staff assistance. The commission shall request staffing assistance from the Legislative Council.
Sec. B-5. Compensation. Members who are Legislators are entitled to the legislative per diem, as defined in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 3, section 2, and reimbursement for necessary expenses incurred for their attendance at authorized meetings of the commission that occur on days the Legislature is not in session. Other members of the commission who are not otherwise compensated by their employers or other entities that they represent are entitled to receive reimbursement of necessary expenses incurred for their attendance at authorized meetings. The Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife shall use funds in the fish hatchery maintenance fund established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 7671-A to reimburse the Legislature in fiscal years 2001-02 and 2002-03 for all costs incurred to pay the per diem and expenses of members of the commission who are Legislators and members who are not otherwise compensated by their employers or other entities that they represent and the costs to print the commission report.
Sec. B-6. Report. The commission shall submit an interim report to the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife no later than December 1, 2001 and a final report to that same committee no later than October 31, 2002.
Sec. B-7. Unexpended balances transferred; balances carried forward. Unexpended funds appropriated by Public Law 1999, chapter 731, Part A, section 1 and Part HHHH, section 1, to the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, Fisheries and Hatcheries Operations, are appropriated to the fish hatchery maintenance fund established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 7671-A to be used by the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife pursuant to Title 12, section 7671-A. Those funds may not be encumbered for any other purpose without prior consultation with the commission. Unexpended balances in the fund do not lapse but are carried forward to subsequent years.
Sec. B-8. Allocation. The following funds are allocated from Other Special Revenue funds to carry out the purposes of this Act.
2001-02 2002-03
INLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE, DEPARTMENT OF
Fisheries and Hatcheries Operations
All Other $500 $500
Provides initial allocations for the Fish Hatchery Maintenance Fund.
DEPARTMENT OF INLAND FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE ____________ ____________
TOTAL $500 $500
LEGISLATURE
Commission to Study the Needs and Opportunities Associated with the Production of Salmonid Sport Fish in Maine
Personal Services $1,320 $1,320
All Other 3,600 3,600
Provides funds for the per diem and expenses of legislative members and expenses of other eligible members of the Commission to Study the Needs and Opportunities Associated with the Production of Salmonid Sport Fish in Maine.
LEGISLATURE ____________ ____________
TOTAL $4,920 $4,920
TOTAL ____________ ____________
ALLOCATION $5,420 $5,420
Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this Act takes effect when approved.
Effective June 28, 2001.
| Revisor of Statutes Homepage | Subject Index | Search | Laws of Maine | Maine Legislature |
