Committee approves amendment to let state day‑use pass be used at any state park or historic site

The committee voted unanimously to recommend passage, as amended, of LD 1093. The amendment rewrote the bill to require the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to issue a day‑use pass that admits the holder to any Maine state park or historic site, explicitly including sites managed by entities other than the Bureau of Parks and Lands.

The change was prompted by public confusion and complaints that holders of state park passes could not use them at some facilities managed under lease or long‑term agreements. Committee members discussed contractual and operational implications for sites managed by third parties (the transcript referenced a long‑term lease in place through 2029), and staff noted the amendment could require negotiation or contract adjustments with third‑party managers; the Bureau said such issues could be addressed through contract renegotiation where needed.

Committee members also considered the Bureau’s staffing constraints; staff noted many parks are managed under contract because the Bureau lacks staff to operate all facilities directly. The amendment includes an emergency preamble; the committee nonetheless advanced the bill to put the policy in statute. The motion to recommend passage as amended carried on a roll call 9‑0 among members present, with three members absent.