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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1057
H.P. 686 House of Representatives, March 14, 2025
Resolve, to Aid Municipalities, Animal Control Officers and Other
Parties in Complying with Electronic Dog Licensing Requirements
(EMERGENCY)
Received by the Clerk of the House on March 12, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed
pursuant to Joint Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative GREENWOOD of Wales.
Page 1 - 132LR1863(01)
1Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not
2 become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
3Whereas, a dog may not be kept within the limits of the State unless the dog has been
4 licensed by its owner or keeper in accordance with the laws of this State; and
5Whereas, the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 7, section 3923-G allows municipalities
6 to participate in an electronic dog licensing project developed and implemented by the
7 Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, and the department gave
8 municipalities a deadline, which has gone by, to implement a specific data management
9 platform; and
10Whereas, the implementation of the data management platform has been fraught with
11 challenges; therefore, platform functionality must be ensured and municipalities must be
12 given ample time to make the transition to this new platform; and
13Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within
14 the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as
15 immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now,
16 therefore, be it
17Sec. 1. Moratorium. Resolved: That the Department of Agriculture,
18 Conservation and Forestry may not require a municipality that has chosen to participate in
19 the electronic dog licensing project as provided in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 7,
20 section 3923-G to implement PetPoint software or any other data management platform for
21 the purpose of issuing licenses for dogs until one year following the effective date of this
22 section; during this time, the department shall allow these municipalities to use alternative
23 methods for the purposes of issuing dog licenses.
24Sec. 2. User group. Resolved: That the Department of Agriculture, Conservation
25 and Forestry shall establish a software user group consisting of municipal clerks, animal
26 control officers, dog licensing agents and other interested parties from a proportionate
27 number of communities of different sizes to assist with transitioning the issuance of dog
28 licenses to a data management platform.
29Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation
30 takes effect when approved.
31SUMMARY
32 This resolve provides that the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
33 may not require a municipality that has chosen to participate in the electronic dog licensing
34 project as provided in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 7, section 3923-G to implement
35 PetPoint software or any other data management platform for a period of one year. The
36 resolve requires the department to allow these municipalities to use alternative methods for
37 the purposes of issuing dog licenses. The resolve also directs the department to establish a
38 software user group to assist municipalities with the transition to a data management
39 platform.
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