KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Maine

LD1189 • 2025

An Act to Allow an Attorney for the State to Determine Whether to Charge Certain Class E Crimes as Civil Violations

An Act to Allow an Attorney for the State to Determine Whether to Charge Certain Class E Crimes as Civil Violations

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Representative Matt Moonen
Last action
2025-07-07
Official status
Signed by the Governor
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 Allow an Attorney for the State to Determine Whether to Charge Certain Class E Crimes as Civil Violations

An Act to Allow an Attorney for the State to Determine Whether to Charge Certain Class E Crimes as Civil Violations Sponsor: Representative Matt Moonen Reference committee: Judiciary Governor action: Signed by the Governor

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Allow an Attorney for the State to Determine Whether to Charge Certain Class E Crimes as Civil Violations Sponsor: Representative Matt Moonen Reference committee: Judiciary Governor action: Signed by the Governor

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.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Adopted by House & Senate

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR2074(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR2074(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 1189 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • H- ) 3JUDICIARY 4 Reproduced and distributed under the direction of the Clerk of the House.
  • 5STATE OF MAINE 6HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 7132ND LEGISLATURE 8FIRST SPECIAL SESSION 9 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT “ ” to H.P.

Bill History

  1. 2025-07-07 Governor

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2025-06-25 Senate

    On motion by Senator ROTUNDO of Androscoggin taken from the Special Appropriations Table PASSED TO BE ENACTED in concurrence.

  3. 2025-06-17 House

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED . Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

  4. 2025-06-16 Committee

    Reported Out; OTP-AM/ONTP

  5. 2025-04-09 Committee

    Work Session Held

  6. 2025-04-09 Committee

    Voted; Divided Report

  7. 2025-03-20 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Allow an Attorney for the State to Determine Whether to Charge Certain Class E Crimes as Civil Violations
Sponsor:
Representative Matt Moonen
Reference committee:
Judiciary
Governor action:
Signed by the Governor

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Page 1 - 132LR2074(03)
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
_____
H.P. 794 - L.D. 1189
An Act to Allow an Attorney for the State to Determine Whether to Charge
Certain Class E Crimes as Civil Violations
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §19-A is enacted to read:
§19-A. Election to charge Class E crime as civil violation
1. For purposes of this section, "eligible Class E crime" means any Class E crime,
except a Class E crime:
A. In Title 21-A; or
B. For which the defendant, if convicted, would be eligible for probation or subject to
a mandatory driver's license suspension.
2. The attorney for the State may elect to charge a defendant alleged to have committed
an eligible Class E crime with a civil violation instead of the eligible Class E crime unless
the defendant was arrested and objects to the substitution of a civil violation charge. In
deciding whether to make this election, the attorney for the State shall consider the severity
of the defendant's conduct, the impact of the conduct on the victim, any prior convictions
or adjudications entered against the defendant and any other factor relevant to whether a
criminal or civil sanction will best accomplish the purposes of the general sentencing
provisions in that particular case.
3. The determination by the attorney for the State under this section is not subject to
judicial review. For a person who is charged with and adjudicated as having committed a
civil violation under this section, a penalty of not more than $1,000 may be adjudged. The
court shall inform the Secretary of State of any Class E crime under Title 29-A, including
the relevant statutory section, that was reduced to a civil violation when a person is
adjudicated of a civil violation under this section.
4. If the attorney for the State elects to charge a defendant with a civil violation instead
of a Class E crime under Title 29-A and the defendant is adjudicated as having committed
the civil violation, the court shall include in the abstract transmitted pursuant to Title 29-A,
section 2607 information on the Class E crime, including the statutory citation, that the
attorney for the State elected not to charge.
APPROVED
JULY 7, 2025
BY GOVERNOR
CHAPTER
496
PUBLIC LAW
Page 2 - 132LR2074(03)
Sec. 2. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and
allocations are made.
JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT
Courts - Supreme, Superior and District 0063
Initiative: Provides one-time funding associated with programming costs.
GENERAL FUND 2025-26 2026-27
All Other $3,900 $0
__________ __________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL $3,900 $0
Sec. 3. Effective date. This Act takes effect January 1, 2026.