Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §7076, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1997, c. 432, §10, is further amended to read:

2. Blind and disabled persons. A complimentary license to fish must be issued to any resident of Maine a person who is 16 years of age or older and blind or otherwise disabled and applies for it to the commissioner. This complimentary license remains valid for the life of the license holder, if the license holder continues to satisfy the residency requirements in section 7001, subsection 32 and the license is not revoked or suspended. The application must be accompanied by certified evidence that the applicant is permanently blind or otherwise disabled. For the purpose of this subsection, "blind person" means a person whose visual acuity for distant vision is 20/200 if the widest diameter of field of vision subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees.

The commissioner shall adopt rules to establish the criteria for a disability other than blindness to qualify under this subsection.__Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are major substantive rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

SUMMARY

This bill amends the law allowing blind residents free fishing licenses by allowing any blind or disabled person a free fishing license.