KLS Keeping Law Simple Legislation in plain English

Straight-ahead summaries built from the official bill text. We keep the source links front and center and leave the decision up to you.

Back to Maine

LD96 • 2025

An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles and Traffic Law Governing Mandatory Driver's License Suspension for Refusing Testing for Drugs or a Combination of Drugs and Alcohol

An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles and Traffic Law Governing Mandatory Driver's License Suspension for Refusing Testing for Drugs or a Combination of Drugs and Alcohol

Active

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

Sponsor
Representative Stephan Bunker
Last action
2025-06-11
Official status
Reports Read On motion by Senator BEEBE-CENTER of Knox Report A Ought Not to Pass Report ACCEPTED in concurrence. Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 452 Yeas 18 - Nays 16 - Excused 1 - Absent 0 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 Motor Vehicles and Traffic Law Governing Mandatory Driver's License Suspension for Refusing Testing for Drugs or a Combination of Drugs and Alcohol

An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles and Traffic Law Governing Mandatory Driver's License Suspension for Refusing Testing for Drugs or a Combination of Drugs and Alcohol Sponsor: Representative Stephan Bunker Reference committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM/OTP-AM

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles and Traffic Law Governing Mandatory Driver's License Suspension for Refusing Testing for Drugs or a Combination of Drugs and Alcohol Sponsor: Representative Stephan Bunker Reference committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM/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 - 132LR0299(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR0299(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 96 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • H- ) 3CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY 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.
Filed

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR0299(03) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR0299(03) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 96 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • H- ) 3CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY 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. 2025-06-11 Senate

    Reports Read On motion by Senator BEEBE-CENTER of Knox Report A Ought Not to Pass Report ACCEPTED in concurrence. Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 452 Yeas 18 - Nays 16 - Excused 1 - Absent 0 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)

  2. 2025-06-10 House

    Reports READ . On motion of Representative HASENFUS of Readfield, REPORT A Ought Not to Pass was ACCEPTED . ROLL CALL NO. 410 (Yeas 73 - Nays 72 - Absent 4 - Excused 2) Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

  3. 2025-06-09 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM/OTP-AM

  4. 2025-03-12 Committee

    Work Session Held

  5. 2025-03-12 Committee

    Voted; Divided Report

  6. 2025-01-08 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles and Traffic Law Governing Mandatory Driver's License Suspension for Refusing Testing for Drugs or a Combination of Drugs and Alcohol
Sponsor:
Representative Stephan Bunker
Reference committee:
Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; ONTP/OTP-AM/OTP-AM

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 96
H.P. 61 House of Representatives, January 8, 2025
An Act to Amend the Motor Vehicles and Traffic Law Governing
Mandatory Driver's License Suspension for Refusing Testing for
Drugs or a Combination of Drugs and Alcohol
Submitted by the Department of Public Safety pursuant to Joint Rule 204.
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative BUNKER of Farmington.

Page 1 - 132LR0299(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 29-A MRSA §2525, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2011, c. 335, §14, is further
3 amended to read:
41. Submission to test required. If a drug recognition expert law enforcement officer
5 has probable cause to believe that a person is under the influence of a drug, drugs, a specific
6 category of drug, a combination of specific categories of drugs or a combination of alcohol
7 and one or more specific categories of drugs, that person must submit to a blood or urine
8 test tests selected by the drug recognition expert law enforcement officer to confirm that
9 person's category of drug or alcohol use and determine the presence or level of the any
10 drug, drug metabolite or alcohol.
11Sec. 2. 29-A MRSA §2525, sub-§5 is enacted to read:
125. Suspension of license for refusal. The Secretary of State, in accordance with the
13 procedures described in section 2521, shall immediately suspend the license of a person
14 who fails to submit to and complete a test administered under this section.
15SUMMARY
16 This bill amends the provision of the motor vehicles and traffic law governing drug
17 impairment assessments. Under current law, a person is required to submit to a blood or
18 urine test selected by a drug recognition expert if that drug recognition expert has probable
19 cause to believe that the person is under the influence of a specific category of drug, a
20 combination of specific categories of drugs or a combination of alcohol and one or more
21 specific categories of drugs. The bill changes this provision by broadening the probable
22 cause to include impairment caused by "a drug" or "drugs" generally, replacing "drug
23 recognition expert" with "law enforcement officer" and modifying the requirements
24 pertaining to the type of test or tests required under the provision.
25 The bill also adds a provision clarifying that the Secretary of State is required to
26 immediately suspend the driver's license of a person who fails to submit to and complete a
27 test under the provision of law governing drug impairment assessments in accordance with
28 existing procedures.
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24