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LD687 • 2025

An Act to Assert State Ownership over Ocean Waters up to 12 Nautical Miles and Submerged Lands and Marine Resources up to 24 Nautical Miles off the State's Coast and to Direct the Attorney General to Study That Ownership

An Act to Assert State Ownership over Ocean Waters up to 12 Nautical Miles and Submerged Lands and Marine Resources up to 24 Nautical Miles off the State's Coast and to Direct the Attorney General to Study That Ownership

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Senator Joseph Martin
Last action
2025-03-20
Official status
Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to Assert State Ownership over Ocean Waters up to 12 Nautical Miles and Submerged Lands and Marine Resources up to 24 Nautical Miles off the State's Coast and to Direct the Attorney General to Study That Ownership

An Act to Assert State Ownership over Ocean Waters up to 12 Nautical Miles and Submerged Lands and Marine Resources up to 24 Nautical Miles off the State's Coast and to Direct the Attorney General to Study That Ownership Sponsor: Senator Joseph Martin Reference committee: Marine Resources Latest committee action: Reported Out; AWD

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Assert State Ownership over Ocean Waters up to 12 Nautical Miles and Submerged Lands and Marine Resources up to 24 Nautical Miles off the State's Coast and to Direct the Attorney General to Study That Ownership Sponsor: Senator Joseph Martin Reference committee: Marine Resources Latest committee action: Reported Out; AWD

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-03-20 Senate

    Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)

  2. 2025-03-07 Committee

    Reported Out; AWD

  3. 2025-02-20 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Marine Resources.

  4. House

    None

Official Summary Text

An Act to Assert State Ownership over Ocean Waters up to 12 Nautical Miles and Submerged Lands and Marine Resources up to 24 Nautical Miles off the State's Coast and to Direct the Attorney General to Study That Ownership
Sponsor:
Senator Joseph Martin
Reference committee:
Marine Resources
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; AWD

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 687
S.P. 304 In Senate, February 25, 2025
An Act to Assert State Ownership over Ocean Waters up to 12
Nautical Miles and Submerged Lands and Marine Resources up to
24 Nautical Miles off the State's Coast and to Direct the Attorney
General to Study That Ownership
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on February 20, 2025. Referred to the Committee
on Marine Resources pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator MARTIN of Oxford.
Cosponsored by Representative FAULKINGHAM of Winter Harbor and
Senators: BEEBE-CENTER of Knox, CYRWAY of Kennebec, MOORE of Washington,
Representative: SOBOLESKI of Phillips.

Page 1 - 132LR1261(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2CONCEPT DRAFT
3SUMMARY
4 This bill is a concept draft pursuant to Joint Rule 208.
5 This bill would exert the State's ownership and jurisdiction over all waters within the
6 rise and fall of the tide seaward 12 nautical miles and all submerged lands and the
7 harvesting of marine resources from the coastline for a distance of 24 nautical miles. The
8 bill would also require the Office of the Attorney General to study the legal issues regarding
9 state ownership and sovereignty over marine resources beyond the 12-nautical-mile
10 territorial sea limit.
4