An Act to Establish the Make Change for Wildlife Program to Support the Maine Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund
Summary
LD 1241 establishes the “Make Change for Wildlife” program within Maine law to encourage voluntary customer contributions at the point of sale for the benefit of the Maine Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund. Under the bill, businesses that choose to participate may collect these donations from customers, deposit the money with the Treasurer of State, and designate it for the fund. The Treasurer must credit all contributions to the fund, and the money may be used only for the purposes already authorized for that wildlife fund.
The bill also repeals an existing statutory subsection and replaces it with the new program language in Title 12, section 10253. In addition, it requires the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to report to the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife by January 1, 2026, including any suggested legislation. The committee is authorized to report out a follow-up bill in the next regular session based on that report.
Impact
This law amends Maine’s wildlife funding statutes by creating a formal mechanism for voluntary point-of-sale donations to support the Maine Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Fund. It shifts the statutory framework in Title 12, section 10253, by repealing prior language and adding a new subsection that governs business participation, collection of contributions, and deposit/crediting procedures through the Treasurer of State. The bill affects businesses that opt into donation collection, the Treasurer’s handling of funds, and the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s reporting obligations.
Sentiment
The available record suggests the bill was enacted without recorded controversy in the provided materials. There are no committee transcripts or vote tallies included, and the bill was ultimately approved by the Governor as Public Law chapter 283. The structure of the bill indicates a broadly supportive, voluntary fundraising approach rather than a mandatory fee or tax, which typically tends to draw less opposition.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas that could have raised questions, though not reflected in the record here, would include whether businesses should be asked to administer donation collection at checkout, how the funds would be tracked and credited, and whether the program should be temporary pending the required 2026 report. Because no transcripts or votes are available, no identifiable opposing viewpoint can be attributed to any person or group.
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