Rep. David Boyer

Maddy summaryLD 421 repeals Maine law provisions that allowed courts to suspend a driver's license for up to 5 years for certain drug-related offenses. It specifically targets suspensions for crimes including drug trafficking, counterfeit drug trafficking, and aggravated marijuana cultivation. The bill removes the legal authority for courts to impose these license suspensions when sentencing individuals convicted of those specific offenses. This change directly affects people convicted of the listed drug crimes by eliminating a barrier to driving privileges upon reentry into the community after incarceration.

Maddy summaryLD 1929 requires owners of seasonal residential dwellings (properties unoccupied over 30 days yearly) to conduct annual hazard inspections, arrange for caretakers during unoccupied periods, and share caretaker contact information with utilities and municipalities. It mandates the Public Utilities Commission to create a statewide hazard reporting system (hotline/online portal), run public education campaigns, and offer financial help to low-income owners. Public utilities must maintain caretaker contact lists, develop repair protocols prioritizing occupied homes during outages, and conduct annual inspections on utility lines with outage histories linked to seasonal properties. The bill aims to prevent utility disruptions caused by unattended seasonal properties through clear owner obligations, utility protocols, and commission support.

Maddy summaryLD 944 proposes a constitutional amendment requiring Maine's House of Representatives to consist of an odd number of members (between 151 and 155). If approved by voters, this change would prevent tie votes in the legislature by ensuring the total number of representatives is always odd. The amendment also includes redistricting rules to create compact, contiguous districts with as equal population as possible, while minimizing splits of municipal boundaries. Voters would decide on this amendment in a statewide referendum during the November 2025 election.

Maddy summaryLD 656 modifies Maine's ranked-choice voting rules to reduce election costs by ending the vote count earlier in certain scenarios. The bill states that if only two or fewer candidates remain in a race during the ranked-choice process, the candidate with a majority of votes in that round is immediately declared the winner - eliminating unnecessary additional counting rounds. This change applies to all Maine elections using ranked-choice voting, including state and local races, and aims to save taxpayer money by streamlining the tabulation process. It does not alter the core ranked-choice voting system but adjusts when the count concludes based on the number of remaining candidates.

Maddy summaryLD 429 requires Maine hospitals to collect and report aggregate medical costs for patients identified as asylum seekers, defined as individuals applying for asylum through U.S. processes or asserting asylum in removal proceedings. Hospitals must inform patients they aren't required to provide immigration status and that it won't affect their care access. Starting January 1, 2027, hospitals must submit quarterly cost reports to the Department of Health and Human Services, which will then annually report totals to the Governor and legislature. The department must also seek annual federal reimbursement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for these costs beginning July 1, 2027. The bill focuses solely on tracking costs and pursuing federal reimbursement, not altering asylum policies or patient eligibility.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals Maine's Certificate of Need (CON) requirements for healthcare facilities, which previously mandated state approval before building new facilities or expanding services. It directly affects hospitals, nursing homes, and other healthcare providers by removing a major regulatory barrier to entry and expansion. The key mechanism is eliminating the CON process, aiming to increase provider competition and options for patients. This change is intended to boost healthcare availability and affordability by encouraging more facilities to open or expand without state approval. The bill also updates related regulations on reimbursement calculations and provider lists.

Maddy summaryLD 1415 requires Maine legislators and lobbyists to report "behested payments" - payments made for legislative, governmental, or charitable purposes at a legislator's suggestion or in coordination with them. Legislators must report payments of $200 or more made on their behalf within 45 days, while lobbyists must report payments totaling $200 or more to a single organization or $400 or more to multiple organizations within 15 days of the following month. Reports must include the payment amount, organization's name and purpose, the lobbyist's details, and the legislator's name. This bill directly affects legislators and lobbyists who engage in these types of transactions.

Maddy summaryLD 1717 requires background checks for staff working in Maine's medical cannabis system. The bill mandates criminal history checks for employees of long-term care facilities assisting with medical cannabis, cannabis testing facilities, and staff at manufacturing facilities (except assistants). It also prohibits individuals with certain drug convictions from obtaining registry cards for facility leadership roles. These checks, valid for two years, apply to all personnel handling medical cannabis under Maine's current regulations.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts business equipment valued at $50,000 or less from Maine's property tax, directly affecting small and medium-sized businesses that own such equipment. It prohibits municipalities from imposing any local tax on this equipment, covering items like office furniture, repair parts, and business machinery. The exemption applies to property tax years beginning April 1, 2026, and requires the state tax bureau to provide guidance to municipalities and businesses on implementation. The bill does not affect equipment over $50,000 or other existing property tax exemptions.

Maddy summaryLD 959 is a concept draft (not a final bill) that proposes requiring the state to develop improved cannabis testing criteria and processes. It does not specify current testing standards or define "better" criteria; instead, it initiates a process for future development. The bill would affect Maine's cannabis regulatory agencies, which would be tasked with creating new testing protocols. This is a procedural step only, with no concrete policy changes or timelines outlined in the current draft. The bill is referred to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs for further review.