An Act To Facilitate a Pilot Program for Sunday Hunting for Residents Only
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §11205, sub-§1, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. A, §2 and affected by c. 614, §9, is amended to read:
Sec. 2. 12 MRSA §11205, sub-§1-A is enacted to read:
This subsection is repealed January 1, 2015.
Sec. 3. Statutory referendum procedure; submission at election; form of question; effective date. This Act must be submitted to the legal voters of the State at a statewide election held in the month of November following passage of this Act. The municipal officers of this State shall notify the inhabitants of their respective cities, towns and plantations to meet, in the manner prescribed by law for holding a statewide election, to vote on the acceptance or rejection of this Act by voting on the following question:
"Do you favor allowing, until January 1, 2015, resident hunters to hunt on the last Sunday during the open hunting season?"
The legal voters of each city, town and plantation shall vote by ballot on this question and designate their choice by a cross or check mark placed within a corresponding square below the word "Yes" or "No." The ballots must be received, sorted, counted and declared in open ward, town and plantation meetings and returns made to the Secretary of State in the same manner as votes for members of the Legislature. The Governor shall review the returns. If a majority of the legal votes are cast in favor of this Act, the Governor shall proclaim the result without delay and this Act becomes effective 30 days after the date of the proclamation.
The Secretary of State shall prepare and furnish to each city, town and plantation all ballots, returns and copies of this Act necessary to carry out the purposes of this referendum.
summary
This bill allows a person with a resident junior hunting license or a resident hunting license to hunt wild animals or wild birds on the last Sunday during the open hunting season. This provision is repealed in 2 years. The bill is contingent on approval by the voters in a referendum at the general election in November.