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LD565 • 2025

An Act to Amend the Definition of "Homestead" Under the Homestead Property Tax Exemption Laws

An Act to Amend the Definition of "Homestead" Under the Homestead Property Tax Exemption Laws

Taxes
Active

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

Sponsor
Senator Joseph Baldacci
Last action
2025-04-01
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 Amend the Definition of "Homestead" Under the Homestead Property Tax Exemption Laws

An Act to Amend the Definition of "Homestead" Under the Homestead Property Tax Exemption Laws Sponsor: Senator Joseph Baldacci Reference committee: Taxation Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Amend the Definition of "Homestead" Under the Homestead Property Tax Exemption Laws Sponsor: Senator Joseph Baldacci Reference committee: Taxation 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. 2025-04-01 Senate

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

  2. 2025-03-27 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP

  3. 2025-03-18 Committee

    Work Session Held

  4. 2025-03-18 Committee

    Voted; ONTP

  5. 2025-02-19 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Taxation.

  6. House

    None

Official Summary Text

An Act to Amend the Definition of "Homestead" Under the Homestead Property Tax Exemption Laws
Sponsor:
Senator Joseph Baldacci
Reference committee:
Taxation
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; ONTP

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 565
S.P. 244 In Senate, February 25, 2025
An Act to Amend the Definition of "Homestead" Under the
Homestead Property Tax Exemption Laws
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on February 19, 2025. Referred to the Committee
on Taxation pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator BALDACCI of Penobscot.
Cosponsored by Senators: BAILEY of York, RAFFERTY of York, Representative:
MATLACK of St. George.

Page 1 - 132LR1472(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 36 MRSA §681, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2005, c. 647, §2 and affected
3 by §5, is further amended to read:
42. Homestead. "Homestead" means any residential property, including cooperative
5 property, in this State assessed as real property owned by an applicant or held in a revocable
6 living trust for the benefit of the applicant and occupied by the applicant as the applicant's
7 permanent residence or owned by a cooperative housing corporation and occupied as a
8 permanent residence by a resident who is a qualifying shareholder. A "homestead" does
9 not include any real property used solely for commercial purposes.
10SUMMARY
11 Current law provides that one of the qualifications of a homestead for the homestead
12 property tax exemption is that real property held in trust must be in a revocable living trust.
13 This bill removes the requirement that the living trust be revocable.
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