| | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: |
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| | | Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §7017, sub-§1-A is enacted to read: |
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| | | 1-A.__Inflation adjustment.__Beginning in fiscal year 2003-04, | | any or all licenses, permits and fees may be adjusted to maintain | | parity with cost-of-living changes as measured by the United | | States Consumer Price Index, CPI-U.__The adjustment must equal | | the percentage change in the annual average CPI-U over the 2 most | | recent calendar years.__The adjustment must then be rounded to | | yield a fee change to the closest 50¢.__Each biennium thereafter, | | fees must be reviewed and adjusted in order to maintain parity | | with cost-of-living changes. |
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| | | Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §7017, sub-§§9 and 10 are enacted to read: |
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| | | 9.__Fiscal Stability Program.__The Fiscal Stability Program is | | established to ensure that the general public and hunters and | | anglers share the cost of the fish and wildlife conservation | | programs of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.__To | | achieve this goal, beginning with the 2004-2005 biennial budget | | and for each biennial budget thereafter, the biennial budget | | submitted by the executive branch must ensure that the cost of | | programs that provide general fish-related and wildlife-related | | benefits is equitably balanced between General Fund and | | undedicated General Fund revenues raised by the department.__ | | General Fund appropriations to the Fiscal Stability Program may | | not be considered to be amounts appropriated to the department | | under the Constitution of Maine, Article IX, Section 22. |
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| | | 10.__WE CARE support program.__The Wildlife Enthusiast's | | Conservation Appreciation, Recreation and Enjoyment, or "WE | | CARE," support program is established to encourage voluntary | | support for the programs and services supplied by the Department | | of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.__The fee for participating in | | this program is $30, which must be credited as undedicated | | revenue to the General Fund. |
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| | | Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §7073, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 1979, c. 420, §1, is | | amended to read: |
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| | | 1. Form. The commissioner shall furnish application blanks, | licenses and permits in such form as he | | designate. The department may charge a fee of up to $10 to cover | | administrative costs for the issuance of miscellaneous licenses | | and permits that do not have a fee provided by law. |
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| | | Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §7076, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2001, c. 351, §1, is | | further amended to read: |
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