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LD1935 • 2025

An Act to Increase Penalties for Violations Related to Water Well Drilling

An Act to Increase Penalties for Violations Related to Water Well Drilling

Active

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

Sponsor
Representative Kenneth Fredette
Last action
2025-06-05
Official status
Reports Read On motion by Senator TIPPING of Penobscot the Majority Ought Not to Pass Report ACCEPTED in concurrence. 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 Penalties for Violations Related to Water Well Drilling

An Act to Increase Penalties for Violations Related to Water Well Drilling Sponsor: Representative Kenneth Fredette Reference committee: Labor Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Increase Penalties for Violations Related to Water Well Drilling Sponsor: Representative Kenneth Fredette Reference committee: Labor 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.

Filed

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR1339(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR1339(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 1935 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • H- ) 3LABOR 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

  1. 2025-06-05 Senate

    Reports Read On motion by Senator TIPPING of Penobscot the Majority Ought Not to Pass Report ACCEPTED in concurrence. Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)

  2. 2025-06-04 House

    Reports READ . On motion of Representative ROEDER of Bangor, the Majority Ought Not to Pass Report was ACCEPTED . Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

  3. 2025-06-03 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM

  4. 2025-05-14 Committee

    Work Session Held

  5. 2025-05-14 Committee

    Voted; Divided Report

  6. 2025-05-07 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Labor.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Increase Penalties for Violations Related to Water Well Drilling
Sponsor:
Representative Kenneth Fredette
Reference committee:
Labor
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. 1935
H.P. 1296 House of Representatives, May 6, 2025
An Act to Increase Penalties for Violations Related to Water Well
Drilling
Reference to the Committee on Housing and Economic Development suggested and
ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative FREDETTE of Newport.

Page 1 - 132LR1339(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 32 MRSA §4700-L, as corrected by RR 2021, c. 2, Pt. A, §115, is amended
3 by amending the section headnote to read:
4§4700-L. Penalties Violations
5Sec. 2. 32 MRSA §4700-L, sub-§1, as corrected by RR 2021, c. 2, Pt. A, §115, is
6 amended to read:
71. Fine Penalties. A person, company, firm, partnership or corporation who installs,
8 alters, repairs or replaces a water well, geothermal heat exchange well or pump system
9 without being licensed as provided in this chapter or in violation of the code of performance
10 adopted by the commission pursuant to section 4700‑H, subsection 5, except for an
11 apprentice well driller or an apprentice pump installer as set forth in this chapter, or a
12 person, firm, partnership or corporation who procures a license as provided in this chapter
13 wrongfully or by fraud commits a civil violation punishable by a fine of not more than
14 $1,000 $25,000. Notwithstanding this subsection, a person, company, firm, partnership or
15 corporation who drills, drives or bores a water well or geothermal heat exchange well
16 without being licensed as provided in this chapter commits a Class D crime.
17SUMMARY
18 This bill increases the maximum fine for licensing violations and certain code
19 violations related to well drilling from $1,000 to $25,000. It also provides that a person,
20 company, firm, partnership or corporation who drills, drives or bores a water well or
21 geothermal heat exchange well without being licensed commits a Class D crime.
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