Rep. Grayson Lookner

Maddy summaryLD 1036 amends Maine's housing discrimination law to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on "status as a recipient of federal, state or local public assistance," including housing subsidies and medical assistance. The bill directly affects housing providers (landlords, managers, agents) and public assistance recipients by making it unlawful to refuse housing, make discriminatory inquiries, or advertise based on this status. Key provisions ban actions like denying rentals, setting different terms, or evicting tenants solely because of public assistance status, adding it to existing protected categories like race and disability. This creates concrete legal protections for individuals relying on public assistance to secure housing.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Maine's state registrar to provide unaccompanied minors (living without parents or guardians) and emancipated minors (legally independent) with free access to their vital records, including birth, death, and marriage records. It amends existing law to explicitly state that the state registrar must make these records available to qualifying minors at no cost. The key change removes financial barriers for these minors to obtain official documents they need for identification, education, or healthcare. This policy directly affects minors in Maine who lack parental support or legal guardianship but need access to their personal records.

Maddy summaryLD 152 amends Maine's Freedom of Access Act to require state agencies to respond to public records requests within 30 days, replacing the previous "reasonable time" standard. Agencies must acknowledge requests within 5 working days and provide a time estimate, with a firm 30-day deadline for full compliance from the request date. This applies to all state agencies and officials handling public records, making the process more predictable for requesters. The bill does not change the scope of records available or add new costs.

Maddy summaryLD 1476 imposes a $2 fee on the rental of living quarters in hotels or short-term rentals, and on recreational vehicle camping reservations, starting January 1, 2026. The revenue generated from this fee must be directed to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. This funding is specifically designated to support the operational costs of homeless shelters across the state. The bill directly affects property owners and renters in the hospitality and camping sectors, while providing new resources for shelter services.

Maddy summaryLD 339 allocates $100,000 annually from the General Fund to the Maine Indian Education School District to develop and implement a Wabanaki-centered curriculum specifically for Native American high school students. The bill requires the school district to administer a pilot program in partnership with state-approved high schools across Maine, using funds for curriculum development, staff, transportation, and support services. It mandates the Department of Education to coordinate with the school district to share the curriculum with appropriate high schools statewide and requires a report to the Education Committee by December 3, 2025, detailing dissemination and fund usage. This resolution directly affects the Maine Indian Education School District, its partner schools, and Native American students in Maine’s public education system.

Maddy summaryThis bill imposes an impact fee on megayachts - privately owned pleasure vessels 150 feet or longer (excluding commercial, military, or academic vessels) - in Maine municipalities that charge slip fees for docking. The fee is $10 per foot over 150 feet per day, up to 30 consecutive days, with municipalities keeping 10% and sending the rest to the Megayacht Fund. The fund must distribute 50% of its revenue to municipalities for harbor and sea level rise mitigation infrastructure, and 50% to public transit infrastructure like ferries and land-based transit. The policy directly affects megayacht owners in participating municipalities and aims to fund infrastructure improvements.

Maddy summaryLD 731 prohibits Maine municipalities from passing or enforcing local laws that block the creation or operation of homeless shelters. The bill directly affects all cities and towns across Maine by preventing them from using zoning or other ordinances to ban shelters. Its key provision requires municipalities to allow homeless shelters without special permits or restrictions. This law changes local policy by ensuring homeless shelters can be established without municipal barriers.

Maddy summaryLD 1047 imposes a new 4% tax on capital gains income (profits from selling investments like stocks or property) that exceed specific annual thresholds. The tax applies to single filers and married individuals filing separately above $250,000, heads of households above $375,000, and married couples filing jointly above $500,000. This tax will take effect for tax years beginning January 1, 2025, and applies only to capital gains earned above these limits. It directly affects high-income earners who realize significant investment profits, increasing their tax burden on the portion of gains exceeding these thresholds.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands Maine's sales tax to include new "luxury services" like limousine rentals, private aircraft charters, and watercraft rentals over 25 feet. It also increases the sales tax rate on short-term automobile rentals (less than one year) from 10% to 15%, effective January 1, 2026, and removes the previous exemption for dealership loaner vehicles. The changes directly affect businesses providing these services and consumers purchasing them, with tax rates now applying to all short-term car rentals except those under specific dealer warranty programs. The bill does not alter existing tax rates for hotels, prepared food, or cannabis sales.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals Maine's ability to issue driver's licenses and nondriver ID cards that meet the federal REAL ID standards. It directly affects Maine residents who currently need REAL ID-compliant cards for domestic air travel or accessing federal facilities. The key change eliminates the state's option to provide these federally compliant IDs, reverting to standard non-REAL ID cards. This means Mainers will no longer have the choice to obtain a card meeting federal security standards under this law.