‘Sec. 2. Law enforcement training for forest rangers policy. The Director of the Bureau of Forestry within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry shall develop and institute a policy that requires all forest rangers appointed by the director pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 8901, subsection 1 to attend a law enforcement training course at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy as a condition of employment. The policy must exempt those forest rangers who have previously attended a preservice law enforcement training course or a basic law enforcement course at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. The policy must require forest rangers to attend and complete at least 7 hours of firearms classroom work and at least 40 hours of firearms training on a firing range taught by a firearms instructor certified by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. In addition, forest rangers shall complete at least 8 hours of training regarding the use of force taught by the Office of the Attorney General and at least another 8 hours of training on weapon retention and use-of-force scenarios taught by a Maine Criminal Justice Academy instructor.’
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 2 and inserting the following:
Amend the bill in section 3 in the 2nd line (page 1, line 17 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "Division" and inserting the following: 'Bureau'
Amend the bill in section 3 in the last line (page 1, line 28 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "2013" and inserting the following: '2014'
Amend the bill in section 3 in the last line (page 1, line 28 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "2014" and inserting the following: '2016'
Amend the bill by inserting after section 3 the following:
‘Sec. 4. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF
Division of Forest Protection Z232
Initiative: Provides funding for firearms, vests and other related equipment in fiscal year 2014-15.
| GENERAL FUND | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
|
All Other
|
$0 | $60,861 |
 |
|
|
| GENERAL FUND TOTAL | $0 | $60,861 |
Division of Forest Protection Z232
Initiative: Provides funding in fiscal year 2014-15 for training and overtime incurred while forest rangers are training.
| GENERAL FUND | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
|
Personal Services
|
$0 | $18,909 |
|
All Other
|
$0 | $7,049 |
|
|
|
| GENERAL FUND TOTAL | $0 | $25,958 |
| AGRICULTURE, CONSERVATION AND FORESTRY, DEPARTMENT OF | ||
| DEPARTMENT TOTALS | 2013-14 | 2014-15 |
|
GENERAL FUND
|
$0 | $86,819 |
|
|
|
| DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS | $0 | $86,819 |
summary
This amendment is the majority report. It removes the requirement that forest rangers complete firearms training by a date certain and instead requires forest rangers with limited enforcement powers under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 8901 to take at least 7 hours of firearms classroom work and at least 40 hours of firearms training on a firing range taught by an instructor certified by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy. In addition, it requires forest rangers to take at least 8 hours of training regarding the use of force taught by the Office of the Attorney General and at least another 8 hours of training on weapon retention and use-of-force scenarios taught by a Maine Criminal Justice Academy instructor.
The bill requires the State Supervisor of the forest protection unit in the Bureau of Forestry and the director of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy to develop a plan to provide training to forest rangers in the use of firearms, bulletproof vests and other related equipment. The State Supervisor is directed to develop a plan to furnish such firearms and equipment to those forest rangers for the performance of their law enforcement duties. This amendment changes the date by which the plans must be reported and implemented from November 1, 2013 to November 1, 2014 and from January 1, 2014 to January 1, 2016, respectively. This amendment also adds an appropriations and allocations section.