Hundreds of new Maine laws take effect on Wednesday, with sweeping impacts on the economy, housing, the environment and health care across the state.
Here's a small sampling:
PFAS Response Program
LD 130 formally establishes the PFAS Response Program within the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, which aims to clean up and mitigate future threats and hazards posed by PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” which have impacted agriculture and food supply chain in Maine. PFAS have been widely linked to negative health effects.
Student Homelessness Prevention Program
LD 384 establishes a Student Homelessness Prevention Program within the Department of Education, providing direct emergency financial support up to $750 to students and their families impacted by housing instability.
Anonymity for abortion medication prescribers
LD 538 allows health care providers to have some anonymity when prescribing abortion pills, by removing their names from labels upon request. Lawmakers said they heard from providers who say they have been harassed and threated for prescribing mifepristone, the most common abortion medication used in the United States.
Mobile home resident protections
Several laws address mobile home communities and aim to preserve affordable housing options for residents. These include the right of first refusal for residents to match offers to purchase the park they live in, establishing a financial assistance fund through transfer fees, and tax incentives.
... and many more
Other notable laws include LD 1736 to increase child care availability throughout the state; LD 786 to strengthen support for first responders; LD 558 to increase protections for consumers from medical debt; LD 913, which requires more transparency for concert ticket sales; and LD 124, which strengthens Maine's right to food law.
And adults are now prohibited from "doxing" minors per LD 537. Doxing means publishing private or identifying information about them online. The issue gained attention this year after Rep. Laurel Libby was censured for posting about a transgender high school athlete on social media.
Nearly 500 laws passed last session, which ended on June 25. Wednesday marks 90 days since the session adjourned, when most go into effect. More than 50 bills went into effect immediately after being passed as emergency measures, with two-thirds of the Legislature's support. Those included bills to fund climate resilience and storm preparedness, and establishing outdoor education for all Maine students.
Others, including an increase in the cigarette tax, will go into effect early next year.
The full list of new state laws is here.
