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An Act To Promote Industrial Hemp
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 7 MRSA §2231, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 320, §1, is amended to read:
 
3. Application.   A person desiring to grow industrial hemp for commercial purposes shall apply to the commissioner for a license on a form prescribed by the commissioner. The application must include the name and address of the applicant, the legal description of the land area to be used for the production of industrial hemp and a map, an aerial photograph or global positioning coordinates sufficient for locating the production fields. Except for employees of the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station and the University of Maine System involved in research and related activities, an applicant for an initial licensure must submit a set of the applicant's fingerprints, taken by a law enforcement officer, and any other information necessary to complete a statewide and nationwide criminal history record check by the Department of Public Safety, State Bureau of Identification and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. All costs associated with the criminal history record check are the responsibility of the applicant and must be submitted with the fingerprints. Criminal history records provided to the commissioner under this section are confidential. The results of criminal records checks received under this subsection may only be used in determining an applicant's eligibility for licensure. A person with a prior criminal conviction is not eligible for licensure.
Sec. 2. 7 MRSA §2231, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 320, §1, is amended to read:
 
4. License issued.   Upon review and approval of an application, the commissioner shall notify the applicant and request that the application fee determined under subsection 7 be submitted. Upon receipt of the appropriate fee and in accordance with subsection 8, the commissioner shall issue a license, which is valid for a period of one year and only for the site or sites specified in the license.
Sec. 3. 7 MRSA §2231, sub-§§5 and 8, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 320, §1, are repealed.
 
SUMMARY
This bill removes the requirements that an applicant for an initial license to grow industrial hemp for commercial purposes must submit a set of the applicant's fingerprints and file with the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry documentation indicating that the seeds planted were a type and variety of hemp approved by the commissioner and also repeals the provision that licensure is contingent upon action by the Federal Government.