AUGUSTA – Maine Senate President Michael Thibodeau (R-Waldo) today submitted a bill that would allow some hunters to wear red instead of the standard orange while hunting in Maine.
The Amish faith prohibits the use of bright colors, but Amish hunters are currently forced to use the bright, fluorescent hunter orange to comply with safety regulations.
The bill, LD 1430, “An Act to Allow Hunters Whose Religion Prohibits Wearing Hunter Orange Clothing to Instead Wear Red,” is currently in front of the Maine Legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee.
Senate President Thibodeau said, “Hunting is an integral part of Maine’s culture, and many of our Amish citizens are avid hunters. They just want to have the same opportunities as other hunters in Maine.
“But the requirement to wear fluorescent orange while hunting conflicts with their religious beliefs, and I believe we can remedy that in the Legislature while at the same time maintaining high hunting safety standards in Maine.”
The Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee is expected to vote on LD 1430 soon. Once that happens, the bill will go before the full Legislature.
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