Legislators Propose 107 Fish and Wildlife Bills!

Just when you thought the legislative session would be all about guns, we learned today that a total of 107 legislative bills have been proposed governing everything from coyotes to crossbows and brook trout to bears. A total of more than 1700 bills have been submitted, so most legislative committees will have a busy session.

I will be posting a series of columns that take a look at all of these bills, on my website: www.georgesmithmaine.com.

Today I posted a column on bills related to fish, fishing, and fishermen. Coming soon will be two columns on hunting bills.

Meanwhile, I’ve taken a quick look at the gun bills and let’s just say: Wow! I’m so glad I am no longer the lobbyist for the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine Dave Trahan is going to be some old busy this session!

Bill titles were posted today on the legislature’s website. If you want to check them all out, go to www.maine.gov/legis/ and click on Publications, followed by Legislative Information Publications. You can select a list of bill titles by sponsor or subject. But be forewarned! The list of bills by subject takes up 145 pages!

George Smith

About George Smith

George stepped down at the end of 2010 after 18 years as the executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine to write full time. He writes a weekly editorial page column in the Kennebec Journal and Waterville Morning Sentinel, a weekly travel column in those same newspapers (with his wife Linda), monthly columns in The Maine Sportsman magazine, two outdoor news blogs (one on his website, georgesmithmaine.com, and one on the website of the Bangor Daily News), and special columns for many publications and newsletters. Islandport Press published a book of George's favorite columns, "A Life Lived Outdoors" in 2014. In 2014, George also won a Maine Press Association award for writing the state's bet sports blog. In 2016, Down East Books published George's book, Maine Sporting Camps, and Islandport Press published George and his wife Linda's travel book, Take It From ME, about their favorite Maine inns and restaurants.