Whereas, chronic wasting disease is a fatal, highly infectious disease that has devastated deer and moose populations in other states; and

Whereas, chronic wasting disease is an immediate threat to Maine's deer and moose population; and

Whereas, immediate action is necessary to prevent the spread of this disease into Maine's deer and moose population; and

Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §10105, sub-§13 is enacted to read:

13. Prevention of chronic wasting disease.__To prevent the introduction of chronic wasting disease into the State, the commissioner may prohibit a person from transporting or having transported into the State any part of any member of the family Cervidae hunted in or taken from a commercial hunting area, including white-tailed deer, Odocoileus virginianus; mule deer, Odocoileus hemionus; caribou, Rangifer tarandus; or moose, Alces alces.__The commissioner shall adopt rules to carry out the purposes of this subsection.__Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.

Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this Act takes effect when approved.

SUMMARY

This bill authorizes the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to adopt rules to prohibit the transportation into the State of white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, moose, caribou or any member of the deer family taken from a commercial hunting area in order to protect Maine's deer and moose population from chronic wasting disease.