BANGOR – Officials with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife pledged Tuesday to rewrite or scrap a controversial proposal to revoke the licenses of professional guides convicted of misdemeanor crimes.
Nearly 100 Maine guides turned out Tuesday night for a public hearing in Bangor largely to protest the proposed rule to require criminal background checks on prospective guides and anyone applying for re-licensure.
From the start of the meeting, department officials acknowledged that the proposal, as written, goes further than they intended and needs major revision.
Roland “Danny” Martin, commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said he decided to hold the public hearing to gather more comments before staff decide whether to change the proposal, rewrite it entirely or stop the process altogether.
“You can rest assured that if we move forward with a rule, it’s not going to be in this fashion, it’s not going to be what is before you,” Martin told the crowd gathered at the Bangor Civic Center.
That didn’t stop the guides from expressing their displeasure with the proposal, however.
As currently written, the proposal would ban anyone convicted of criminal misdemeanors – known as Class D or E crimes – from guiding for at least three years. People with felony convictions would be blocked from receiving a guide license for a minimum of 10 years and could be barred for life for the most serious felonies.
Skip Trask, the legislative liaison for the Maine Professional Guides Association, said Maine already has regulations on the books to govern when people can be denied professional licenses based on their criminal history. The proposal would subject guides to stricter rules than game wardens or legislators, he said.
“These changes are unnecessary, they are unreasonable,” Trask said.
Lance Wheaton, a guide since 1963, said guides have been helping people out of binds for decades. While Wheaton acknowledged there are some bad seeds, he said the vast majority of guides work hard to comply with the laws and serve their clients.
Others said they supported banning violent criminals but pointed out that the proposal would not cover whitewater rafting and camping guides – two groups more likely to lead groups of children.
Officials said they originally intended the rules to cover individuals convicted of “crimes against persons” and those with fish and wildlife convictions, but the rules were broadened during the review process.
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