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

LD1683 • 2025

An Act to Make a Freedom of Access Act Request Free of Charge upon Petition

An Act to Make a Freedom of Access Act Request Free of Charge upon Petition

Active

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

Sponsor
Representative Quentin Chapman
Last action
2025-05-28
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 Make a Freedom of Access Act Request Free of Charge upon Petition

An Act to Make a Freedom of Access Act Request Free of Charge upon Petition Sponsor: Representative Quentin Chapman Reference committee: Judiciary Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Make a Freedom of Access Act Request Free of Charge upon Petition Sponsor: Representative Quentin Chapman 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

  1. 2025-05-28 Senate

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

  2. 2025-05-27 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP

  3. 2025-05-06 Committee

    Work Session Held

  4. 2025-05-06 Committee

    Voted; ONTP

  5. 2025-04-17 House

    Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed. The Bill was REFERRED to the Committee on JUDICIARY . Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

  6. 2025-04-17 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Make a Freedom of Access Act Request Free of Charge upon Petition
Sponsor:
Representative Quentin Chapman
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. 1683
H.P. 1118 House of Representatives, April 17, 2025
An Act to Make a Freedom of Access Act Request Free of Charge
upon Petition
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative CHAPMAN of Auburn.
Cosponsored by Representatives: BOYER of Poland, FAULKINGHAM of Winter Harbor,
FREDERICKS of Sanford, HENDERSON of Rumford, LIBBY of Auburn, Senators:
HAGGAN of Penobscot, HICKMAN of Kennebec, TIMBERLAKE of Androscoggin.

Page 1 - 132LR1280(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 1 MRSA §408-A, sub-§13 is enacted to read:
313. Request accompanied by petition; no fees; timing of compliance. If the
4 requestor submits a request pursuant to this section for a public record and that request is
5 accompanied by a petition signed by at least 150 individuals registered to vote in this State
6 making the same request, the agency or official having custody or control of the public
7 record may not charge the requestor any of the costs incurred by the agency or official in
8 complying with the request, including those specified in subsection 8.
9 An agency or official that receives a request pursuant to this subsection shall provide an
10 update regarding the status of the request at least every 30 working days after the date the
11 request is received, as determined pursuant to subsection 3.
12SUMMARY
13 This bill amends the Freedom of Access Act by:
14 1. Prohibiting the charging of a fee by an agency or official that has custody or control
15 of a public record that is requested if that request is accompanied by a petition signed by at
16 least 150 individuals registered to vote in this State making the same request; and
17 2. Requiring that the agency or official to provide an update regarding the status of the
18 request at least every 30 working days; current law requires the agency or official to make
19 a good faith effort to comply with the request within the nonbinding estimate of time
20 provided by the agency or official.
13