An Act To Allow Municipalities To Designate Safe Zones To Protect Children from Sex Offenders
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 0351
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: RICHARDSON, FITTS, FLOOD
Amends: 17-A MRSA §251, 17-A MRSA §253, 17-A MRSA §261, 17-A MRSA §281, 17-A MRSA §286, 30-A MRSA §3253

Legislative Document 
No. 351 
H.P.281 
House of Representatives, January 25, 2007 
An Act To Allow Municipalities To Designate Safe Zones To Protect 
Children from Sex Offenders 
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representative RICHARDSON of Warren. 
7JJ~'1J7.~ 
Mll...LICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representatives: FITTS of Pittsfield, FLOOD of Winthrop. 
Printed on recycled puper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. I. 17-A MRSA §251, sub-§I, ~, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 768, §1, is 
amended to read: 
F. 
"Safe children zone" means on or within 1,000 feet of the real property 
comprising a public or private elementary or secondary school or on or within 1,000 
feet of the real property comprising a day care center licensed pursuant to Title 22, 
section 8301-A or on or within any area designated as a safe zone by a municipality 
pursuant to Title 30-A, section 3253. 
Sec.2. 17-A MRSA §253, sub-§7, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 768, §2, is repealed. 
Sec. 3. 17-A MRSA §261 is enacted to read: 
§261. Aggravating sentencing factor 
If the State pleads and proves that a violation of any provision of this chapter was 
committed in a safe children zone, the court, in determining the appropriate sentence, 
shall treat this as an aggravating sentencing factor. 
Sec. 4. 17-A MRSA §281, sub-§3-A is enacted to read: 
3-A. Safe children zone. "Safe children zone" means on or within 1,000 feet of the 
real property comprising a public or private elementary or secondary school or on or 
within 1,000 feet of the real property comprising a day care center licensed pursuant to 
Title 22, section 830 I-A or on or within any area designated as a safe zone by a 
municipality pursuant to Title 30-A, section 3253. 
Sec.5. 17-A MRSA §286 is enacted to read: 
§286. Aggravating sentencing factor 
If the State pleads and proves that a violation of any provision of this chapter was 
committed in a safe children zone, the court, in determining the appropriate sentence, 
shall treat this as an aggravating sentencing factor. 
Sec. 6. 30-A MRSA §3253, as enacted by PL 2005, c. 415, §5, is amended to 
read: 
§3253. Safe zones designated by municipality 
A municipality ~ 
shall designate an area of the municipality that is frequented by 
minors as a safe zone under Title 17-A, section 1101, subsection 23, relating to drug 
offenses, or under Title 17 -A, section 251, subsection 1, paragraph F or section 281, 
subsection 3-A, relating to sexual offenses. A municipality may designate the same area 
or different areas for the purposes of protecting minors from drug-related offenses and 
sexual offenses. A safe zone designated pursuant to this section must be conspicuously 
marked by the municipality with an informational sign using wording provided by the 
Commissioner of Public Safety. 
SUMMARY 
This bill requires municipalities to designate safe zones to protect minors from sexual 
offenses and from drug-related offenses. The bill requires courts to treat the commission 
of a sexual offense within a designated safe children zone, including a municipally 
created safe zone, as an aggravating sentencing factor.