LD 381 allows Maine homeowners to transfer the remaining balance and interest rate of their existing mortgage to a new primary residence, directly affecting those buying or selling homes. To qualify, homeowners must maintain good payment history, meet lender underwriting standards, and complete the transfer within six months of selling their previous home. The bill requires lenders to transfer the original loan terms to the new property, while any additional funds needed for the new home must be financed at current market rates - though lenders must offer a blended interest rate option. This aims to reduce costs for homeowners moving within the state, promoting housing affordability without altering existing mortgage terms.
LD 81 updates Maine's school innovation waiver process to make it easier for school districts to seek flexibility in state rules. It removes specific requirements that previously hindered districts from applying for waivers needed to implement innovative teaching methods or school structures. The bill requires districts to demonstrate community support, safeguard student progress, and commit to professional learning in areas like outdoor education, career exploration, and inclusive STEM programs. This change aims to support local experimentation with new approaches while maintaining accountability.
LD 377 increases Maine's cigarette tax from 100 to 150 mills per cigarette and dedicates 33% of the resulting revenue to establish a University of Maine medical school in Penobscot County. The medical school must include a rural health care curriculum and provide clinic outreach to seven rural counties: Aroostook, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Washington, Waldo, Hancock, and Somerset. The remaining 67% of the tax revenue will go to the state's General Fund. The law takes effect on July 1, 2026.
LD 718 requires Maine municipal clerks to issue absentee ballots only to voters registered in that specific municipality, including voters and designated immediate family members or third parties who are also registered residents. It eliminates the previous "ongoing absentee voter status" system, which allowed voters to receive ballots automatically for multiple elections without reapplying each time. The bill amends voting statutes to mandate residency verification for all absentee ballot requests and repeals provisions enabling indefinite absentee voting. This directly affects voters seeking absentee ballots, ensuring ballots are only sent to those currently registered in the requesting municipality.
LD 198 prohibits University of Maine System campus police from issuing parking citations or summonses to visitors (defined as non-students and non-employees) for parking violations on university-owned or controlled property. The bill amends existing law to clarify that campus police may only issue such citations to students or employees of the University of Maine System. This change specifically applies to parking enforcement and does not affect other types of violations or citations. As a result, visitors will no longer face on-campus parking citations from campus police for parking infractions.
LD 454 expands Maine's Clean Election Act to include candidates for Secretary of State and Attorney General. The bill amends definitions in the law to explicitly add these offices to the list of positions eligible for the Act's public financing system, which currently covers Governor, State Senator, and State Representative. Under this change, candidates for Secretary of State and Attorney General will become eligible to participate in the Clean Election Act starting with elections held in 2028. This requires updating the Act's definitions and administrative processes to include these new candidate categories.
This bill expands Maine's Clean Election Act to include candidates for sheriff and district attorney, who were previously excluded. It amends definitions in the law to explicitly allow these candidates to participate in the public financing system, which provides state funds for campaigns in exchange for limiting private donations. The change takes effect for elections beginning in 2028, aligning sheriff and district attorney races with the existing system for governor, state senator, and state representative candidates. The bill makes no changes to how the system operates for current participating offices, only extending eligibility to these new positions.
Maine's legislature has passed a resolution (SP 173) applying to Congress to call an Article V convention for proposing a constitutional amendment on campaign finance reform. The resolution specifically targets issues like money's role in elections, corruption risks, and the *Citizens United* Supreme Court decision, but only if Congress fails to propose such an amendment by December 2026. Maine's application is part of a broader state effort to reach the required 38 states (two-thirds) for a convention, though it does not commit Maine to support any specific amendment. This is a procedural step - Maine is not creating new law but seeking to initiate a federal constitutional process.
LD 313 requires all paper ballots used in Maine state elections (excluding sample ballots) to include a unique identifier. Voting devices must record this identifier alongside each vote cast, while preventing any connection between the identifier and the voter's identity. Municipal clerks must then publicly post a list of votes organized by unique identifier on their website after each election. This applies only to electronically counted ballots and does not affect paper ballots processed through other methods.
This bill requires food products derived from aquaculture, livestock, or poultry that received mRNA vaccine material to carry a clear label stating "contains mRNA vaccine material." It applies directly to food producers and sellers in Maine offering such products. The label must be conspicuous and prominently displayed, and non-compliant products may be stopped from sale until properly labeled. The law defines "mRNA vaccine material" as substances in vaccines that stimulate antibody production, though the bill does not address whether such materials are actually used in food production.
LD 668, titled "An Act To Abolish Ranked-Choice Voting," would repeal Maine's existing ranked-choice voting (RCV) statutes and revert election procedures to standard plurality voting. The bill specifically removes provisions requiring RCV ballot formatting, instructions, and counting methods (such as tabulating ranked choices), mandating instead that all elections use the standard method where the candidate with the most votes wins. This change would directly affect all statewide and local elections in Maine that currently use RCV, including races for governor, U.S. Congress, and state legislature. The bill does not create new voting rules but eliminates the RCV framework from Maine law.
This bill (LD 209) is a supplemental budget measure that reallocates existing state funds to cover essential government operations for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. It directly affects state agencies and departments by providing additional funding from the General Fund and other existing sources to address unanticipated expenses or budget shortfalls. The bill does not create new policies or programs but adjusts current funding allocations to ensure state government can continue functioning properly. It was submitted by the Governor as emergency legislation to address immediate budget needs without requiring new tax revenue.
