Maine Bills

died · Maine · Senate Apr 29, 2026

LD 1859: An Act To Improve Access To Child Care And Early Childhood Education By Establishing Regional Resource Hubs

LD 1859 establishes four regional resource hubs across Maine by November 2025 to improve access to child care and early childhood education. These hubs, operated by existing regional nonprofits, will help families locate programs, assist with applications for the Maine Child Care Affordability Program, and connect parents to local resources like public preschools and community agencies. Each hub must conduct annual needs assessments, create regional plans based on parent and employer input, and support child care providers through training and business assistance. The bill directly affects families with young children, child care providers, employers, and educators by coordinating existing services and increasing access to high-quality early childhood programs.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

died · Maine · House Apr 29, 2026

LD 616: An Act To Provide Funding To The Maine Semiquincentennial Commission To Commemorate The United States Of America'S 250Th Birthday In 2026

LD 616 provides $250,000 in one-time state funding to the Maine Semiquincentennial Commission for public programs commemorating the United States' 250th birthday in 2026. The state funds will match private donations, requiring the commission to secure private contributions to access the state money. This appropriation is limited to the 2025-2026 fiscal year, with no ongoing funding provided for future years. The commission will use these combined state-private funds to support public events related to the 2026 commemoration.

died · Maine · Senate Apr 29, 2026

LD 1639: An Act To Codify Minimum Instructional Hours In The State'S Schools

LD 1639 requires all Maine school administrative units to ensure each school provides at least 900 instructional hours annually. It defines "instructional hours" as time students spend on scheduled academic activities under staff supervision (excluding lunch, recess, or extracurriculars), allowing field trips related to academics to count toward the total. The bill permits the Education Commissioner to grant waivers for extraordinary disruptions like natural disasters, requiring written applications and recovery plans. School units must annually report compliance to the state, with potential consequences like withheld funding for noncompliance, effective starting the 2026-2027 school year.

Topics ✓ Education

died · Maine · Senate Apr 29, 2026

LD 13: An Act To Provide Funds Necessary For The Production And Delivery Of Election Materials By The Secretary Of State And To Reconvene The Working Group To Study Polling Places At Schools

This bill creates a dedicated fund within Maine's Secretary of State's office to cover the costs of producing and delivering election materials like ballots and voter guides. It mandates an annual $266,000 transfer from the General Fund (adjusting for inflation every two years) to support these materials, with unused funds carried forward annually. Additionally, it requires the Secretary of State to reconvene a 9-member working group - including education officials, school association representatives, and advocates - to study using school buildings as polling places. The group must examine security, accessibility, and best practices across states, then submit recommendations by December 15, 2025.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

died · Maine · Senate Apr 29, 2026

LD 34: An Act To Increase The Minimum Salary For Teachers

LD 34 sets new minimum salary levels for certified teachers and career and technical education teachers in Maine public schools, starting in the 2026-2027 school year. It requires school districts to establish minimums of $45,000 for 2026-27, increasing to $52,500 by 2029-30, with automatic annual cost-of-living adjustments after 2030 based on the Chained Consumer Price Index. The state will provide supplemental funding to cover these increases for school districts that previously paid below the new minimums. This directly affects public school teachers and districts in Maine, with the first salary adjustments taking effect for the 2026-2027 school year.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Education ✓ Labor & Employment

died · Maine · Senate Apr 29, 2026

LD 1449: Resolve, Requiring The Commissioner Of Administrative And Financial Services To Conduct A Study Of The State'S Grant, Contracting And Procurement Practices

LD 1449 requires Maine's Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services to study the state's grant, contracting, and procurement practices. The study must examine current reimbursement rates, application procedures, staffing levels, delays in payments, impacts on nonprofit wages, and other operational details across state agencies. It mandates stakeholder input from nonprofits, agencies, and experts, with a final report due by January 1, 2026, to the Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government. The report will include specific recommendations to improve efficiency, transparency, equity, and accountability in managing public funds.

died · Maine · House Apr 29, 2026

LD 182: An Act To Require The Department Of Health And Human Services To Establish Mainecare Reimbursement Rates For The Maine Veterans' Homes On A Per Resident Basis

LD 182 requires Maine's Department of Health and Human Services to set MaineCare reimbursement rates for Maine Veterans' Homes on a per-resident daily basis. This directly affects veterans' facilities (including nursing homes and residential care facilities operated by Maine Veterans' Homes) and ensures MaineCare covers the portion of their operating costs tied to residents receiving MaineCare benefits. The bill mandates annual inflation adjustments to these rates and allows the department to use data from other states or hire third parties to establish them. It does not change eligibility but standardizes how costs for covered residents are calculated and reimbursed.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Veterans

died · Maine · Senate Apr 29, 2026

LD 577: An Act To Address Student Hunger And Nutrition Through Expanded Access To Free Milk In Schools

This bill establishes Maine's Free Milk Fund within the Department of Education to cover the cost of providing free milk to students who do not receive lunch through the school food service program. It directly affects eligible public school districts participating in the federal National School Lunch Program. The fund reimburses schools for milk costs, with unspent funds carried forward annually. The policy specifically targets students without access to school lunches but needing nutritional support through milk access.

Topics ✓ Education

died · Maine · House Apr 29, 2026

LD 748: An Act To Increase Bridging Rental Assistance Program Housing Voucher Funding To Reduce The Current Partial Waiting List And Increase Housing Vouchers For Persons Living With Mental Health Challenges

This bill increases annual funding by $660,000 for Maine's Bridging Rental Assistance Program to address higher costs from a 2021 policy change that required the program to cover more of participants' rent. The program provides housing vouchers to individuals living with mental health challenges who are on a waiting list for rental assistance. The additional funding aims to reduce the current partial waiting list and expand the number of available housing vouchers. The funding applies to the 2025-26 and 2026-27 fiscal years.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes ✓ Healthcare ✓ Housing

died · Maine · House Apr 29, 2026

LD 317: An Act To Enact The Safe Cosmetics Act

Maine's LD 317, the Safe Cosmetics Act, prohibits the sale or distribution of cosmetic products containing specific intentionally added ingredients - such as lead, mercury, formaldehyde, or certain phthalates - starting January 1, 2027. The law applies to manufacturers and retailers selling cosmetics in Maine, excluding products with only trace amounts of these ingredients due to unavoidable impurities from manufacturing, storage, or packaging. Retailers who sell non-compliant products are entitled to full refunds from manufacturers, including shipping costs. The act defines cosmetics broadly but excludes soap, dietary supplements, and FDA-regulated food/drugs.

died · Maine · House Apr 29, 2026

LD 540: An Act To Identify The State'S Unidentified Human Remains

This bill requires Maine's Chief Medical Examiner to use DNA analysis through forensic genetic genealogy testing to identify unidentified human remains after holding them for 45 days. It directly affects the Chief Medical Examiner's office and the unidentified remains in their custody. The key provision mandates testing using forensic genetic genealogy (DNA analysis compared against public genealogy databases) to establish identities. This applies to remains not in cared-for cemeteries or known to be Native American, aiming to resolve long-standing cases of unidentified remains.

died · Maine · Senate Apr 29, 2026

LD 1313: An Act To Promote Equity In The Forest Products Industry By Allowing Commercial Wood Haulers To Be Eligible For Certain Sales Tax Exemptions And Refunds

LD 1313 allows commercial wood haulers in Maine to qualify for sales tax exemptions or refunds when purchasing or leasing machinery and equipment used in transporting trees for the forest products industry. The bill amends Maine's tax code to explicitly include tree hauling within the definition of "commercial wood harvesting," ensuring haulers are covered under existing tax relief for qualifying equipment like trucks, semitrailers, and wood chippers. This change, effective January 1, 2026, directly benefits wood haulers operating in Maine's forest products sector by reducing their equipment costs.

Topics ✓ Budget & Taxes

Bill results