7.__Commission's status.__Subject to written approval of the Attorney General as provided in Title 5, section 191 and within the limits of the commission's budget, the commission may retain private counsel for the conduct of commission meetings and hearings and advice on other legal matters.

Sec. W-9. 38 MRSA §972 is repealed.

Sec. W-10. 38 MRSA §1316-M, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 579, §5, is amended to read:

4. Transporting without license or manifest; penalties. A person who transports scrap tires without a license or without a manifest as required by department rules commits a Class E crime if that person in fact transports scrap tires without a license or without a manifest as required by department rules. Violation of this subsection is a strict liability crime as defined in Title 17-A, section 34, subsection 4-A. The minimum fines for transporting scrap tires without a license or without a manifest are as follows: for a vehicle with a registered gross weight of up to 12,000 pounds, $500; for a vehicle with a registered gross weight of between 12,001 and 34,000 pounds, $2,000; and for a vehicle with a registered gross weight of over 34,000 pounds, $4,500. This minimum fine may not be suspended, but it may be reduced by the amount of the disposal fee paid by the transporter for disposal of the truckload of tires at a licensed waste facility. A person commits a Class D crime if that person, after being cited for a violation of the manifest requirements, transports the tires to an unlicensed, nonexempt waste facility. Notwithstanding Title 17-A, section 1301, the fine for a Class E crime under this subsection may not exceed $10,000 per violation, and the fine for a Class D crime under this subsection may not exceed $25,000 per violation.

A.__For a vehicle with a registered gross weight of up to 12,000 pounds, $500;

B.__For a vehicle with a registered gross weight of between 12,001 and 34,000 pounds, $2,000; and