LD1802 • 2025

An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services to Clarify When an Indigent Criminal Defendant Is Entitled to Counsel at State Expense

Vetoed

The latest official action shows the governor vetoed this bill. Check the bill history to see whether lawmakers later overrode that veto.

Sponsor
Last action: 2025-06-25
Official status: LD 1802 In Senate, June 25, 2025, this Bill, having been returned by the Governor, together with objections to the same pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution of the State of Maine, after reconsideration, the Senate proceeded to vote on the question: "Shall this Bill become a law notwithstanding the objections of the Governor?" 3 and 28, accordingly it was the vote of the Senate that the Bill not become law and the VETO was SUSTAINED . 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 Implement the Recommendations of the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services to Clarify When an Indigent Criminal Defendant Is Entitled to Counsel at State Expense

An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services to Clarify When an Indigent Criminal Defendant Is Entitled to Counsel at State Expense Reference committee: Judiciary Latest committee action: Reported Out; OTP-AM

What This Bill Does

An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services to Clarify When an Indigent Criminal Defendant Is Entitled to Counsel at State Expense Reference committee: Judiciary Latest committee action: Reported Out; OTP-AM

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 (S-249)

Adopted by House & Senate

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR2472(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

Page 1 - 132LR2472(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
1802 2 Date: (Filing No.
S- ) 3JUDICIARY 4 Reproduced and distributed under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate.
5STATE OF MAINE 6SENATE 7132ND LEGISLATURE 8FIRST SPECIAL SESSION 9 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT “ ” to S.P.

Bill History

2025-06-25 Senate
LD 1802 In Senate, June 25, 2025, this Bill, having been returned by the Governor, together with objections to the same pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution of the State of Maine, after reconsideration, the Senate proceeded to vote on the question: "Shall this Bill become a law notwithstanding the objections of the Governor?" 3 and 28, accordingly it was the vote of the Senate that the Bill not become law and the VETO was SUSTAINED . Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)
2025-06-09 House
PASSED TO BE ENACTED . Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
2025-06-03 Committee
Reported Out; OTP-AM
2025-05-16 Committee
Work Session Held
2025-05-16 Committee
Voted; OTP-AM
2025-04-30 Committee
Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services to Clarify When an Indigent Criminal Defendant Is Entitled to Counsel at State Expense
Reference committee:
Judiciary
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; OTP-AM

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1802
S.P. 701 In Senate, April 29, 2025
An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Maine
Commission on Public Defense Services to Clarify When an Indigent
Criminal Defendant Is Entitled to Counsel at State Expense
Reported by Senator CARNEY of Cumberland for the Joint Standing Committee on
Judiciary pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 4, section 1804, subsection 3, paragraph
H.
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed pursuant to Joint
Rule 218.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate

Page 1 - 132LR2472(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 15 MRSA §810, sub-§3, ¶A, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 485, §1, is amended
3 to read:
4 A. There is a risk upon conviction that the accused may be sentenced to a term of
5 imprisonment; . For purposes of this paragraph, there is a risk upon conviction that the
6 accused may be sentenced to a term of imprisonment if:
7 (1) The prosecutor informs the court that the prosecutor will, if the accused is
8 convicted, request that the accused be sentenced to a term of imprisonment;
9 (2) The accused is in custody at the time of the initial appearance or arraignment;
10 (3) The accused is held in custody as a result of the criminal proceeding for more
11 than a total of 24 hours; or
12 (4) A court has found a risk upon conviction that the accused may be sentenced to
13 a term of imprisonment in any other currently pending criminal matter in which
14 the accused is a defendant;
15SUMMARY
16 This bill is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary to implement
17 recommendations of the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services. The committee
18 has not taken a position on the substance of this bill. By reporting this bill out, the
19 committee is not suggesting and does not intend to suggest that it agrees or disagrees with
20 any aspect of this bill; instead, the committee is reporting the bill out for the sole purpose
21 of having a bill printed that can be referred to the committee for an appropriate public
22 hearing and subsequent processing in the normal course. The committee is taking this
23 action to ensure clarity and transparency in the legislative review of the proposals contained
24 in the bill.
25 The bill clarifies when an indigent criminal defendant is entitled to counsel at state
26 expense because there is a risk upon conviction that the accused may be sentenced to a term
27 of imprisonment.
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