APPROVED CHAPTER
JUNE 12, 2025 282
BY GOVERNOR PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
_____
H.P. 806 - L.D. 1231
An Act to Require Legislative Approval of Proposed Permanent Changes to
the Overnight Docking of State Ferries on Islands
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 23 MRSA §4408 is enacted to read:
§4408. Overnight docking of ferries; legislative approval
1. Change to existing overnight docking practice. The Department of
Transportation may not without legislative approval change the existing overnight docking
practices of a state-owned ferry vessel that docks overnight on an island served by the
Maine State Ferry Service. The department shall seek legislative approval to change the
existing overnight docking practice of a ferry vessel that docks on an island served by the
Maine State Ferry Service by submitting legislation to the joint standing committee of the
Legislature having jurisdiction over transportation matters prior to the change. The joint
standing committee may report out a bill based on the suggested legislation.
2. Exceptions. Notwithstanding subsection 1, the Department of Transportation may
require a ferry vessel to temporarily dock at a mainland port or an alternative island port
for an emergency situation or another significant operational need. The department does
not need to seek legislative approval pursuant to subsection 1 for a temporary change to
docking practices pursuant to this subsection. For the purposes of this subsection,
"temporary change" means a change in the overnight docking of a state-owned ferry vessel
that docks on an island served by the Maine State Ferry Service that does not change the
common docking practice of that ferry vessel.
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