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LD1944 • 2025

An Act to Protect Individuals from the Threatened Unauthorized Dissemination of Certain Private Images, Including Artificially Generated Private Images

An Act to Protect Individuals from the Threatened Unauthorized Dissemination of Certain Private Images, Including Artificially Generated Private Images

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Representative Amy Kuhn
Last action
2025-06-20
Official status
Signed by the Governor
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 Protect Individuals from the Threatened Unauthorized Dissemination of Certain Private Images, Including Artificially Generated Private Images

An Act to Protect Individuals from the Threatened Unauthorized Dissemination of Certain Private Images, Including Artificially Generated Private Images Sponsor: Representative Amy Kuhn Reference committee: Judiciary Governor action: Signed by the Governor

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Protect Individuals from the Threatened Unauthorized Dissemination of Certain Private Images, Including Artificially Generated Private Images Sponsor: Representative Amy Kuhn Reference committee: Judiciary Governor action: Signed by the Governor

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 House & Senate

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR0110(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR0110(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 1944 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • H- ) 3JUDICIARY 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. 2025-06-20 Governor

    Signed by the Governor

  2. 2025-06-16 House

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED . Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

  3. 2025-06-16 Senate

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED , in concurrence.

  4. 2025-06-12 Committee

    Reported Out; OTP-AM

  5. 2025-05-28 Committee

    Work Session Held

  6. 2025-05-28 Committee

    Voted; OTP-AM

  7. 2025-05-21 Committee

    Work Session Held; TABLED

  8. 2025-05-07 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Protect Individuals from the Threatened Unauthorized Dissemination of Certain Private Images, Including Artificially Generated Private Images
Sponsor:
Representative Amy Kuhn
Reference committee:
Judiciary
Governor action:
Signed by the Governor

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
Page 1 - 132LR0110(03)
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
_____
H.P. 1303 - L.D. 1944
An Act to Protect Individuals from the Threatened Unauthorized
Dissemination of Certain Private Images, Including Artificially Generated
Private Images
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §4651, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2017, c. 455, §1, is further
amended to read:
2. Harassment. "Harassment" means:
A. Three or more acts of intimidation, confrontation, physical force or the threat of
physical force directed against any person, family or business that are made with the
intention of causing fear, intimidation or damage to personal property and that do in
fact cause fear, intimidation or damage to personal property; or
C. A single act or course of conduct constituting a violation of section 4681; Title 17,
section 2931; or Title 17‑A, section 201, 202, 203, 204, 207, 208, 209, 210, 210‑A,
211, 253, 254, 255‑A, 256, 258, 259‑A, 259‑B, 260, 261, 282, 283, 301, 302, 303, 506,
506‑A, 511, 511‑A, 556, 802, 805, 806, 852 or 853.; or
D. Communicating to a person a threat to commit, or to cause to be committed, a crime
of unauthorized dissemination of certain private images as described in Title 17-A,
section 511-A, consciously disregarding a substantial risk that the natural and probable
consequence of such a threat is to place the person who is depicted or who appears to
be depicted in the image in reasonable fear that the crime will be committed.
This definition does not include any act protected by law.
Sec. 2. 17-A MRSA §511-A, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2015, c. 339, §1, is
amended to read:
1. A person is guilty of unauthorized dissemination of certain private images if the
person, with the intent to harass, torment or threaten the depicted person or another person,
intentionally or knowingly disseminates, displays or publishes a photograph, videotape,
film or digital recording an image of another person in a state of nudity or engaged in a
sexual act or engaged in sexual contact or an image that has been created or modified so
APPROVED
JUNE 20, 2025
BY GOVERNOR
CHAPTER
400
PUBLIC LAW
Page 2 - 132LR0110(03)
that it appears to show the depicted person in a state of nudity or engaged in a sexual act or
engaged in sexual contact in a manner in which there is no public or newsworthy purpose
when the person knows or should have known that the depicted person:
B. Is identifiable from the image itself or information displayed in connection with the
image; and
C. Has not consented to the dissemination, display or publication of the private image.
Sec. 3. 17-A MRSA §511-A, sub-§3, ¶D is enacted to read:
D. "Image" means something that is made, captured, generated or saved as a print,
negative, slide, motion picture, photograph, computer data file, animation, videotape,
livestream or other mechanically, electronically or chemically reproduced visual image
or material.
Sec. 4. 19-A MRSA §4102, sub-§1, ¶G, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 647, Pt. A, §3
and affected by Pt. B, §65, is amended to read:
G. Engaging in the unauthorized dissemination of certain private images as prohibited
pursuant to Title 17‑A, section 511‑A; or
Sec. 5. 19-A MRSA §4102, sub-§1, ¶H, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 647, Pt. A, §3
and affected by Pt. B, §65, is amended to read:
H. Engaging in aggravated sex trafficking or sex trafficking as described in Title 17‑A,
section 852 or 853, respectively.; or
Sec. 6. 19-A MRSA §4102, sub-§1, ¶I is enacted to read:
I. Communicating to a person a threat to commit, or to cause to be committed, a crime
of unauthorized dissemination of certain private images as described in Title 17-A,
section 511-A, consciously disregarding a substantial risk that the natural and probable
consequence of such a threat is to place the person who is depicted or who appears to
be depicted in the image in reasonable fear that the crime will be committed.