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LD1155 • 2025

An Act to Ensure Appropriate County Government Operations Relating to the Position of Dedimus Justice

An Act to Ensure Appropriate County Government Operations Relating to the Position of Dedimus Justice

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Representative Paul Flynn
Last action
2025-04-24
Official status
Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to Ensure Appropriate County Government Operations Relating to the Position of Dedimus Justice

An Act to Ensure Appropriate County Government Operations Relating to the Position of Dedimus Justice Sponsor: Representative Paul Flynn Reference committee: State and Local Government Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Ensure Appropriate County Government Operations Relating to the Position of Dedimus Justice Sponsor: Representative Paul Flynn Reference committee: State and Local Government Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-24 Senate

    Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)

  2. 2025-04-23 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP

  3. 2025-04-14 Committee

    Work Session Held

  4. 2025-04-14 Committee

    Voted; ONTP

  5. 2025-04-09 Committee

    Work Session Held; TABLED

  6. 2025-03-21 House

    Carried over, in the same posture, to the next special or regular session of the 132nd Legislature, pursuant to Joint Order SP 519.

  7. 2025-03-20 Committee

    Referred to Committee on State and Local Government.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Ensure Appropriate County Government Operations Relating to the Position of Dedimus Justice
Sponsor:
Representative Paul Flynn
Reference committee:
State and Local Government
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; ONTP

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1155
H.P. 760 House of Representatives, March 20, 2025
An Act to Ensure Appropriate County Government Operations
Relating to the Position of Dedimus Justice
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative FLYNN of Albion.
Cosponsored by Senator CYRWAY of Kennebec and
Representatives: CIMINO of Bridgton, COLLINS of Sidney, GRIFFIN of Levant,
POMERLEAU of Standish.

Page 1 - 132LR1643(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §4, as amended by PL 1975, c. 771, §26, is repealed and the
3 following enacted in its place:
4§4. Dedimus justices
51. Appointment. The Governor shall appoint in each county persons who are
6 designated as dedimus justices, before whom the oath required by the Constitution of
7 Maine to qualify civil officers may be taken and subscribed. Such persons shall exercise
8 their powers and duties and must be commissioned to act within and for each county as
9 follows.
10 A. Two persons in each county that are county employees must be appointed as
11 dedimus justices so that these persons may exercise the powers and duties of dedimus
12 justice on behalf of county government.
13 B. One person in each county that is an employee of the county sheriff must be
14 appointed as dedimus justice so that this person may exercise the powers and duties of
15 dedimus justice on behalf of the county sheriff.
162. Verification; roster. The Secretary of State shall maintain a roster of those persons
17 designated as dedimus justices pursuant to subsection 1 and make the roster available on
18 the Secretary of State's publicly accessible website. On an annual basis, the Secretary of
19 State shall contact a person designated as a dedimus justice for the purpose of verifying
20 that the person is willing and able to fulfill the duties of dedimus justice as described in
21 subsection 1. If, after attempts in 2 consecutive years, the Secretary of State is unable to
22 verify that a person designated as a dedimus justice is willing and able to fulfill the duties
23 of dedimus justice, the Secretary of State shall remove the name of that dedimus justice
24 from the roster required by this subsection.
25SUMMARY
26 This bill amends the law governing dedimus justices by requiring the appointment of
27 2 county employees and one sheriff's department employee in each county to perform the
28 duties of dedimus justice on behalf of county government and the county sheriff,
29 respectively. The bill also requires the Secretary of State to maintain a roster of persons
30 designated as dedimus justices and make the roster available on the Secretary of State's
31 publicly accessible website.
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