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LD1815 • 2025

An Act to Require a Blood Test for Drugs for Drivers Involved in a Motor Vehicle Accident That Results in Serious Bodily Injury or Death

An Act to Require a Blood Test for Drugs for Drivers Involved in a Motor Vehicle Accident That Results in Serious Bodily Injury or Death

Active

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

Sponsor
Senator Scott Cyrway
Last action
2025-06-16
Official status
On motion by Senator PIERCE of Cumberland The Senate INSISTED on ACCEPTANCE of The Minority Ought to Pass As Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (S-371) Report and PASSAGE TO BE ENGROSSED as Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (S-371) Sent down for concurrence
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 Require a Blood Test for Drugs for Drivers Involved in a Motor Vehicle Accident That Results in Serious Bodily Injury or Death

An Act to Require a Blood Test for Drugs for Drivers Involved in a Motor Vehicle Accident That Results in Serious Bodily Injury or Death Sponsor: Senator Scott Cyrway Reference committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Require a Blood Test for Drugs for Drivers Involved in a Motor Vehicle Accident That Results in Serious Bodily Injury or Death Sponsor: Senator Scott Cyrway Reference committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP/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.

Adopted by Senate

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR1488(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR1488(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 1815 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • S- ) 3CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY 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

  1. 2025-06-16 House

    Speaker Pro Tem MOONEN of Portland MOVED to INSIST . Motion of Representative NUTTING of Oakland to RECEDE and CONCUR to ACCEPTANCE of the Minority Ought to Pass as Amended Report and as Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (S-371) FAILED . ROLL CALL NO. 535 (Yeas 65 - Nays 80 - Absent 4 - Excused 2) Subsequently, the House INSISTED on ACCEPTANCE of the Majority Ought Not to Pass Report. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH. Placed in the Legislative Files. ( DEAD )

  2. 2025-06-16 Senate

    On motion by Senator PIERCE of Cumberland The Senate INSISTED on ACCEPTANCE of The Minority Ought to Pass As Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (S-371) Report and PASSAGE TO BE ENGROSSED as Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (S-371) Sent down for concurrence

  3. 2025-06-12 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM

  4. 2025-05-14 Committee

    Work Session Held

  5. 2025-05-14 Committee

    Voted; Divided Report

  6. 2025-04-29 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Require a Blood Test for Drugs for Drivers Involved in a Motor Vehicle Accident That Results in Serious Bodily Injury or Death
Sponsor:
Senator Scott Cyrway
Reference committee:
Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; ONTP/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. 1815
S.P. 703 In Senate, April 29, 2025
An Act to Require a Blood Test for Drugs for Drivers Involved in a
Motor Vehicle Accident That Results in Serious Bodily Injury or
Death
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator CYRWAY of Kennebec.
Cosponsored by Representative DILL of Old Town and
Senators: BAILEY of York, HARRINGTON of York, Representatives: FLYNN of Albion,
GRAHAM of North Yarmouth, PAUL of Winterport, PERKINS of Dover-Foxcroft,
SHAGOURY of Hallowell, THORNE of Carmel.

Page 1 - 132LR1488(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §2401, sub-§12-A is enacted to read:
312-A. THC level. "THC level" means the amount, in nanograms, of
4 delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol per milliliter of blood.
5Sec. 2. 29-A MRSA §2522-A is enacted to read:
6§2522-A. Accidents; mandatory testing
71. Mandatory submission to test. If there is probable cause to believe that death or
8 serious bodily injury, as defined in Title 17-A, section 2, subsection 23, has occurred or
9 will occur as a result of a motor vehicle accident and that the operator of a motor vehicle
10 involved in the accident is under the influence of drugs, the operator shall submit to a blood
11 test pursuant to section 2524 to determine the operator's THC level or the presence of
12 another drug or drug metabolite.
132. Administration of test. The investigating law enforcement officer shall cause a
14 blood test to be administered to the operator of the motor vehicle as soon as practicable
15 following the accident under subsection 1. The operator shall submit to and complete the
16 test administered. Testing must be conducted in accordance with section 2521.
173. Admissibility of test results. The result of a test under this section is admissible at
18 trial if the court, after reviewing all the evidence, whether gathered prior to, during or after
19 the test, is satisfied that probable cause exists, independent of the test result, to believe that
20 the operator was under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident.
214. Suspension. The Secretary of State shall suspend for a period of one year the license
22 of a person who fails to submit to a test under this section.
235. Scope of hearing. The scope of any hearing the Secretary of State holds pursuant
24 to section 2483 must include whether there was probable cause to believe that the person
25 was the operator of a motor vehicle involved in a motor vehicle accident in which a death
26 or serious bodily injury, as defined in Title 17-A, section 2, subsection 23, had occurred or
27 would occur and whether the person failed to submit to and complete the test required under
28 this section. If the person shows, after hearing, that the person was not under the influence
29 of drugs or that the person did not negligently cause the accident, the suspension must be
30 immediately removed.
31SUMMARY
32 This bill does the following.
33 1. It requires an operator of a motor vehicle to submit to a blood test for drugs when
34 the operator is involved in an accident where there is probable cause to believe that death
35 or serious bodily injury has occurred or will occur as a result of the accident.
36 2. It allows the blood test to be admissible at trial if the court reviews all available
37 evidence, with the exception of the blood test, and the court determines that probable cause
38 exists to believe that the operator was under the influence of THC at the time of the
39 accident.
40 3. It requires that the Secretary of State suspend an operator's license for one year if the
41 operator fails to submit to a blood test that is required under this bill. However, the bill
32
Page 2 - 132LR1488(01)
42 requires that the suspension be removed if the person can show that the person was not
43 under the influence of THC or that the person did not negligently cause the accident.
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