AUGUSTA, Maine - A legislative panel is recommending the creation of a task force to study farm amusement ride safety after a 17-year-old girl was killed during a Halloween-themed hayride last year.
The Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee voted Monday to endorse a bill that would create a task force that will make recommendations for ensuring the safety of people who take hayrides. The measure is a scaled-back version of a bill that would mandate hayride inspections.
Democratic Rep. Lori Fowle, co-chairwoman of the committee, said the issue is more complicated than lawmakers initially thought and that they need more information.
The Lewiston Sun Journal reports that the task force will study what rules are already in place and recommend which agency should be responsible for regulating the rides.