An Act To Allow County and Regional Communications Centers To Request Polygraph Examinations for Employees and Applicants for Employment (AFTER DEADLINE)
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 2024
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: TALBOT ROSS, DIAMOND, COREY, FAY
Amends: 32 MRSA §7364

Legislative Document
No. 2024
H.P. 1504
House of Representatives, March 17, 2022
An Act To Allow County and Regional Communications Centers To 
Request Polygraph Examinations for Employees and Applicants for 
Employment
(AFTER DEADLINE)
(EMERGENCY)
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
205.
Received by the Clerk of the House on March 15, 2022.  Referred to the Committee on 
Criminal Justice and Public Safety pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to 
Joint Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative TALBOT ROSS of Portland.
Cosponsored by Senator DIAMOND of Cumberland and
Representatives: COREY of Windham, FAY of Raymond.
Emergency preamble.  Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas, under current law, employees of or applicants for employment with law 
enforcement agencies, including as emergency services dispatchers for those agencies, are 
subject to polygraph examinations; and
Whereas, other public safety dispatchers, such as for fire or emergency medical 
services, are not subject to polygraph examinations, despite having access to confidential 
records such as investigative and criminal intelligence information; and
Whereas, to ensure that such information is not misused, it is necessary to correct this 
disparity as soon as possible; and
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore,
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  32 MRSA §7364, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2013, c. 316, §3 and affected 
by §5, is amended to read:
3.  Exception.  This section does not apply to employees of or applicants for 
employment with law enforcement agencies or county and regional communications 
centers.  As used in this subsection, "county and regional communications centers" means 
publicly owned and publicly operated entities that dispatch emergency services, but does 
not include an entity operated by or under the control of a law enforcement agency.
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation 
takes effect when approved.
SUMMARY
Under current law, law enforcement employees and applicants for positions with law 
enforcement agencies are subject to polygraph examinations as a condition of obtaining or 
holding employment; this includes persons who operate as dispatchers.  Other emergency 
service dispatch employees or applicants for employment as emergency service dispatch 
employees are not subject to polygraph examinations, even though those employees may 
have access to confidential information.
This bill allows county and regional communications centers, which are dispatch 
centers for all emergency services, to require employees and applicants for employment to 
submit to a polygraph examination.