LD1337 • 2025

An Act to Amend the Maine Human Rights Act Regarding Female Athletes and Safety in Women's Single-sex Shelters

Active

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

Sponsor: Representative Elizabeth Caruso
Last action: 2025-06-16
Official status: Reports Read On motion by Senator CARNEY of Cumberland Report B Ought Not to Pass Report ACCEPTED in concurrence. PREVAILED Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 558 Yeas 21 - Nays 13 - Excused 1 - Absent 0 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 Amend the Maine Human Rights Act Regarding Female Athletes and Safety in Women's Single-sex Shelters

An Act to Amend the Maine Human Rights Act Regarding Female Athletes and Safety in Women's Single-sex Shelters Sponsor: Representative Elizabeth Caruso Reference committee: Judiciary Latest committee action: Reported Out; OTP-AM/ONTP

What This Bill Does

An Act to Amend the Maine Human Rights Act Regarding Female Athletes and Safety in Women's Single-sex Shelters Sponsor: Representative Elizabeth Caruso Reference committee: Judiciary Latest committee action: Reported Out; OTP-AM/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.

Amendments

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

C-A (H-693)

Filed

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR2339(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

Page 1 - 132LR2339(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
1337 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

2025-06-16 Senate
Reports Read On motion by Senator CARNEY of Cumberland Report B Ought Not to Pass Report ACCEPTED in concurrence. PREVAILED Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 558 Yeas 21 - Nays 13 - Excused 1 - Absent 0 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)
2025-06-13 House
RELEASED . Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
2025-06-12 Committee
Reported Out; OTP-AM/ONTP
2025-05-29 Committee
Work Session Reconsidered
2025-05-29 Committee
Voted; Divided Report
2025-05-20 Committee
Work Session Held
2025-05-20 Committee
Voted; Divided Report
2025-03-27 Committee
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Amend the Maine Human Rights Act Regarding Female Athletes and Safety in Women's Single-sex Shelters
Sponsor:
Representative Elizabeth Caruso
Reference committee:
Judiciary
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; OTP-AM/ONTP

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1337
H.P. 872 House of Representatives, March 27, 2025
An Act to Amend the Maine Human Rights Act Regarding Female
Athletes and Safety in Women's Single-sex Shelters
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative CARUSO of Caratunk.
Cosponsored by Senator STEWART of Aroostook and
Representatives: FAULKINGHAM of Winter Harbor, HAGGAN of Hampden, JAVNER of
Chester, LYMAN of Livermore Falls, MCINTYRE of Lowell, Senators: BLACK of Franklin,
LIBBY of Cumberland, MOORE of Washington.

Page 1 - 132LR2339(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §4553, sub-§8, as amended by PL 2019, c. 464, §1, is further
3 amended by adding after the first blocked paragraph a new blocked paragraph to read:
4 "Place of public accommodation" does not include a facility, owned and operated by a
5 private entity, that provides emergency shelter to women or temporary residence to women
6 who are in reasonable fear of their safety.
7Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §4602, sub-§5, ¶C, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 366, §19, is
8 amended to read:
9 C. Requires a religious corporation, association or society that does not receive public
10 funding to comply with this section as it relates to sexual orientation or gender identity;
11 or
12Sec. 3. 5 MRSA §4602, sub-§5, ¶D, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 366, §19, is
13 amended to read:
14 D. Requires an educational institution to participate in or endorse any religious beliefs
15 or practices; to the extent that an educational institution permits religious expression,
16 it cannot discriminate between religions in so doing. ; or
17Sec. 4. 5 MRSA §4602, sub-§5, ¶E is enacted to read:
18 E. May be construed to affect the rights of a female athlete under 20 United States
19 Code, Sections 1681 to 1689, also known as Title IX of the federal Education
20 Amendments of 1972, Public Law 92-318, as amended.
21SUMMARY
22 This bill exempts from the definition of "place of public accommodation" in the Maine
23 Human Rights Act privately owned and operated facilities that provide emergency shelter
24 to women or temporary residence for women who are in reasonable fear of their safety.
25 The bill also amends the provisions in the Maine Human Rights Act governing
26 unlawful educational discrimination to provide that they may not be construed to affect the
27 rights of a female athlete under the federal laws known as Title IX of the Education
28 Amendments of 1972.
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