July 17, 2015 127th Maine Legislature - How snowmobilers fared Late yesterday, they finally shut off the lights and vacated the third floor of the State House; bring to an end on of the most cantankerous legislative sessions in recent memory. Dozens of bills are now either law or vetoed depending on who you ask, and it is likely that legal discussions over their fate will last for weeks if not months. In spite of all this, snowmobilers made out surprisingly well, and every bill about our sport has been settled in one way or another. Here’s how we ended up: LD-88, An Act To Authorize Snowmobile Registration Reciprocity with the Provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec, sponsored by Rep. Roland “Danny” Martin of Sinclair, was passed and became law without the Governor’s signature. This bill extended the 3-day “free” weekend Maine current has with New Hampshire and Vermont to the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick provided they offer the same accommodation to Maine. There are some technical issues regarding incompatible provincial laws, but the MSA and the Dept. IF&W will be reaching out to the provinces and will keep riders informed on progress toward this. The MSA supported this bill. LD-561, An Act To Recognize the Registrations of Snowmobiles and All-terrain Vehicles Owned by Residents of a State That Borders Maine, sponsored by Rep. Matthew Peterson of Rumford and LD-723, An Act To Allow Reciprocal Recognition of New Hampshire and Maine Snowmobile Registrations, sponsored by Sen. David Woodsome of York County were both unanimously rejected by the IF&W Committee and are dead. Both of these bills proposed to reinstate registration reciprocity with New Hampshire residents. The MSA opposed both bills. LD-716, An Act To Amend the Fees for Snowmobile Registration, sponsored by Rep. Steve Stanley of Medway, was passed and vetoed by Governor LePage. The veto was overridden, and as it was emergency legislation, it went into effect immediately. The MSA originally took no position on this bill, preferring to support LD-1056 (see below). The MSA switched their position to support following the IF&W Committee’s decision to make LD-716 their bill of choice to address funding issues. This bill became a comprehensive package of changes in snowmobile registrations. Those changes are: • It increases the resident snowmobile registration fee from $40 to $45 and dedicates the $5 increase to the Snowmobile Trail Fund. • It increases the 3-day nonresident snowmobile registration fee from $43 to $49 and dedicates the $6 increase to the Snowmobile Trail Fund. • It increases the nonresident seasonal snowmobile registration fee from $88 to $99 and dedicates the $11 increase to the Snowmobile Trail Fund. • It creates a 10-day nonresident snowmobile registration fee and sets the fee at $75. • It directs the Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to create the Snowmobile Trail Fund Donation Sticker Program and to create donation stickers to reflect a donor's donation of $25, $50 and $100, respectively, of which $2 is retained by the department and the remainder is transferred to the Snowmobile Trail Fund. The donation stickers are not a part of or associated with the State's snowmobile registration requirements. • It directs the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to develop written policies specifying the criteria the department will us to distribute additional revenues raised pursuant to this amendment to snowmobile clubs and to submit those policies for review to the IF&W Committee no later than January 15, 2016. LD-1056, An Act To Improve Snowmobiling in Maine, sponsored by Rep. Steve Wood of Sabattus, proposed a $15 snowmobile trail fund sticker that could be purchased for each snowmobile registered in the State, the proceeds of which were to be transferred to the Snowmobile Trail Fund. When the IF&W Committee chose to focus their attention on LD-716, they amended LD-1056 to reinstate the sales tax exemption on sleds purchased in Maine by non-residents that was repealed during the 125th Legislature. This was a controversial move, and although it received unanimous support from the Committee, it was later indefinitely postponed in the House and is now dead. LD-1411, An Act To Amend the Tax Laws, sponsored by Sen. Earle McCormick of Kennebec County, was the Bureau of Revenue Services’ bill to correct what they perceive as corrections and clarifications that need to be made in the tax laws. One of the provisions this year dealt with the collection of sales and use tax of snowmobiles purchased in Maine by non-residents. The MSA opposed this provision, as it could have created a situation where non-residents registering in Maine could have possibly been responsible to pay a use tax on their sled even if it was not purchased in Maine. The MSA opposed this provision and with the help of Rep. Mike Shaw, House Chair of the IF&W Committee, Sen. Paul Davis (an MSA Past-President) and House Taxation Committee Chair Rep. Adam Good negotiated amended language the essentially maintained the status quo on non-resident sales tax requirements. This bill was passed and became law without the Governor’s signature. Special thanks is due to MSA members who worked hard contacting their legislators and keeping them informed on what was important during this session. No snowmobile bills were held over for the second session of the 126th Legislature, although emergency measures may be introduced at the Governor’s request or by approval by the Legislative Council. We’ll be updating members as the session draws near, but in the meantime, enjoy this great summer. .