Sec. 3. 12 MRSA §6446, sub-§2-B is enacted to read:

2-B.__Rules pursuant to section 6447, subsection 5-B.__The commissioner may adopt rules for a zone established under subsection 1 that are proposed pursuant to section 6447, subsection 5-B only when the rules were proposed by the lobster management policy council established for that zone pursuant to section 6447, subsection 1 and the proposed rules were approved in a referendum pursuant to section 6447, subsection 6.__The commissioner may accept the rules proposed by a lobster management policy council as reasonable and adopt those rules or reject the council's proposed rules as unreasonable.__The rules adopted under this subsection by the commissioner must accurately reflect the intent of the rules proposed by a lobster management policy council but are not required to be a verbatim rendition of the proposed rules.

This subsection is repealed June 1, 2006.

Sec. 4. 12 MRSA §6447, sub-§5-B is enacted to read:

5-B.__Zone E council authority.__Notwithstanding any other provision in this subchapter, upon approval in a referendum under subsection 6, a lobster management policy council for Zone E as defined in rules adopted by the department may propose to the commissioner rules for Zone E that do any or all of the following:

A.__Increase the length of time an apprentice must be enrolled in the apprentice program up to a maximum of 5 years.__A proposal to increase the length of enrollment does not apply to apprentices enrolled in the program at the time that proposal takes effect;

B.__Require a sponsor of an apprentice to have held a Class I, Class II or Class III lobster and crab fishing license for at least 5 years; or

C.__Require that an apprentice may enter Zone E only if the apprentice apprenticed in Zone E.

This subsection is repealed June 1, 2006.

Sec. 5. Effective date. Those sections of this Act that