LD1348 • 2025

An Act to Increase the Limit on Damages Under the Maine Tort Claims Act for Negligence Involving School Field Trips

Education

Active

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

Sponsor: Senator Mark Lawrence
Last action: 2025-04-29
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 Increase the Limit on Damages Under the Maine Tort Claims Act for Negligence Involving School Field Trips

An Act to Increase the Limit on Damages Under the Maine Tort Claims Act for Negligence Involving School Field Trips Sponsor: Senator Mark Lawrence Reference committee: Judiciary Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

What This Bill Does

An Act to Increase the Limit on Damages Under the Maine Tort Claims Act for Negligence Involving School Field Trips Sponsor: Senator Mark Lawrence Reference committee: Judiciary 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

2025-04-29 Senate
Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)
2025-04-25 Committee
Reported Out; ONTP
2025-04-22 Committee
Work Session Held
2025-04-22 Committee
Voted; ONTP
2025-03-28 Committee
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.
House
None

Official Summary Text

An Act to Increase the Limit on Damages Under the Maine Tort Claims Act for Negligence Involving School Field Trips
Sponsor:
Senator Mark Lawrence
Reference committee:
Judiciary
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; ONTP

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1348
S.P. 565 In Senate, April 1, 2025
An Act to Increase the Limit on Damages Under the Maine Tort
Claims Act for Negligence Involving School Field Trips
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on March 28, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Judiciary pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator LAWRENCE of York.
Cosponsored by Representatives: GRAMLICH of Old Orchard Beach, LEE of Auburn.

Page 1 - 132LR1922(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 14 MRSA §8102, sub-§1-D is enacted to read:
31-D. Field trip. "Field trip" means an excursion of students conducted by an
4 elementary or secondary school to a location away from the school for educational or
5 recreational purposes. "Field trip" does not include a sporting, extracurricular, club or other
6 event or activity in which there is an inherent risk of physical injury.
7Sec. 2. 14 MRSA §8105, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1999, c. 460, §1 and affected
8 by §2, is further amended to read:
91. Limit established. In Except as provided in subsection 6, in any claim or cause of
10 action permitted by this chapter, the award of damages, including costs, against either a
11 governmental entity or its employees, or both, may not exceed $400,000 for any and all
12 claims arising out of a single occurrence.
13Sec. 3. 14 MRSA §8105, sub-§6 is enacted to read:
146. Field trips. In a claim or cause of action permitted by this chapter, the award of
15 damages, including costs, against a governmental entity for a negligent act or omission in
16 the planning, transportation, administration, supervision or execution of a field trip may
17 not exceed $5,000,000 for any claims arising out of a single occurrence.
18SUMMARY
19 This bill increases the limit for damages under the Maine Tort Claims Act from
20 $400,000 to $5,000,000 for a negligent act or omission by a governmental entity in the
21 planning, transportation, administration, supervision or execution of a school field trip.
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