The Department of Conservation, the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Department of Marine Resources will incur some minor additional costs to participate as members of the commission, to prepare and submit the required strategic boating plan and to provide assistance to the commission if requested to do so. These costs can be absorbed within the departments' existing budgeted resources.

The additional costs associated with participating as members of the commission and providing assistance to the commission if requested to do so can be absorbed by the Bureau of Revenue Services and the Department of Transportation utilizing existing budgeted resources.

SUMMARY

This emergency resolve is a unanimous bill reported by the Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife pursuant to a Joint Order.

The resolve creates the 15-member Commission to Study Equity in the Distribution of Gas Tax Revenues Attributable to Snowmobiles, All-terrain Vehicles and Watercraft. The duties of the commission are:

1. To undertake a comprehensive effort to collect and analyze all existing data regarding the amount and type of fuel purchased for and consumed within this State by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and motorboats and of fuel purchased in this State for those vehicles and consumed outside the jurisdiction of this State. The commission shall identify areas where such information is either incomplete or out of date or has not yet been collected and shall undertake such research as is necessary and within its resources to collect and update that information;

2. Based upon an analysis of the data collected, to determine the percentage of gasoline taxes collected under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 36, section 2903 that is paid on gasoline consumed by snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and motorboats;

3. To assess the needs within the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, the Department of Conservation and the Department of Marine Resources for enforcement of existing snowmobile, all-terrain vehicle and watercraft laws; assess the capital needs for equipment or facilities for maintenance of