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LD947 • 2025

An Act to Clarify Overnight Docking at Mainland Ports for Certain Island Ferry Vessels

An Act to Clarify Overnight Docking at Mainland Ports for Certain Island Ferry Vessels

Active

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

Sponsor
Representative Ann Matlack
Last action
2025-05-22
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 Clarify Overnight Docking at Mainland Ports for Certain Island Ferry Vessels

An Act to Clarify Overnight Docking at Mainland Ports for Certain Island Ferry Vessels Sponsor: Representative Ann Matlack Reference committee: Transportation Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Clarify Overnight Docking at Mainland Ports for Certain Island Ferry Vessels Sponsor: Representative Ann Matlack Reference committee: Transportation Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

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. 2025-05-22 Senate

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

  2. 2025-05-20 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP

  3. 2025-05-15 Committee

    Work Session Held

  4. 2025-05-15 Committee

    Voted; ONTP

  5. 2025-03-21 House

    Carried over, in the same posture, to the next special or regular session of the 132nd Legislature, pursuant to Joint Order SP 519.

  6. 2025-03-05 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Transportation.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Clarify Overnight Docking at Mainland Ports for Certain Island Ferry Vessels
Sponsor:
Representative Ann Matlack
Reference committee:
Transportation
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; ONTP

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 947
H.P. 612 House of Representatives, March 11, 2025
An Act to Clarify Overnight Docking at Mainland Ports for Certain
Island Ferry Vessels
Received by the Clerk of the House on March 5, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Transportation pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MATLACK of St. George.
Cosponsored by Senator BEEBE-CENTER of Knox and
Representatives: EATON of Deer Isle, GEIGER of Rockland, RAY of Lincolnville.

Page 1 - 132LR2119(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 23 MRSA §4401, sub-§1 is enacted to read:
31. Overnight docking on islands of ferry vessels. The Department of Transportation
4 shall allow a ferry vessel operating under this section to dock overnight at its island port or
5 to dock overnight at a mainland port when that docking is common practice.
6Sec. 2. 23 MRSA §4401, sub-§2 is enacted to read:
72. Exception. Notwithstanding subsection 1, the Department of Transportation may
8 require a ferry vessel to dock at a mainland port or at an alternative island port for an
9 emergency situation, including, but not limited to, an extreme weather event.
10Sec. 3. 23 MRSA §4401, as amended by PL 1999, c. 20, §1, is further amended by
11 enacting at the end a new paragraph to read:
12 The department may adopt rules necessary to implement this section. Rules adopted
13 pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375,
14 subchapter 2-A.
15SUMMARY
16 This bill requires the Department of Transportation to allow a ferry operated by the
17 Maine State Ferry Service to dock overnight at its island port or to dock at a mainland port
18 when that docking is common practice, with the exception that the department may require
19 a ferry vessel to dock at a mainland port or at an alternative island port for an emergency
20 situation, including, but not limited to, an extreme weather event.
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