An Act To Amend The Maine Human Rights Act To Provide Additional Remedies For Educational Discrimination
LD 1647 amends Maine's Human Rights Act to allow courts to award compensatory damages for intentional educational discrimination. It provides remedies for victims of intentional discrimination in education, covering losses like disrupted learning, emotional harm, and financial impacts. However, schools can avoid these damages if they demonstrated good-faith efforts to provide reasonable accommodations for disabilities without causing undue hardship. The bill explicitly excludes cases where discrimination was unintentional (based solely on disparate impact) and clarifies these damages are in addition to existing remedies under the law.
Bill status
died
4 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Apr 2025
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
Governor
Introduced Apr 15, 2025
Last action Apr 29, 2026
Floor votes · House Apr 13, 2026
How they voted
67–62
Passed · 5 other
Total votes 134
Apr 13, 2026
D
Democratic65
98% Yea
I
Independent3
100% Yea
R
Republican66
93% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
33
Key actions
7
Committee
7
Apr 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
PASSED TO BE ENACTED.
lower
Apr 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
Committee Amendment "A" (S-661) was READ and ADOPTED.
lower
Apr 13, 2026
Lower · Passed
On motion of Representative KUHN of Falmouth, the Majority Ought to Pass as Amended Report was ACCEPTED.
lower
Apr 9, 2026
Legislature · Passed
Reported Out - OTP-AM/ONTP
legislature
Apr 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
Committee Amendment "A" (S-661) READ and ADOPTED.
upper
Apr 9, 2026
Upper · Passed
On motion by Senator CARNEY of Cumberland The Majority Ought to Pass As Amended Report ACCEPTED.
upper
Apr 15, 2025
Committee
The Bill was REFERRED to the Committee on JUDICIARY.
lower
Apr 15, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee on JUDICIARY suggested and ordered printed REFERENCE to the Committee on JUDICIARY Ordered sent down forthwith for concurrence
upper
1 primary · 9 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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