An Act to Establish a Civil Rights Unit and a Civil Rights Review Panel Within the Office of the Attorney General and Require Ongoing Enhanced Civil Rights Training for Civil Rights Officers
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 2210
Committee: Judiciary
Sponsors: TALBOT ROSS, ROTUNDO, LANDRY, LEE, MOONEN, O'CONNELL, SACHS, SHEEHAN, BAILEY, CARNEY
Amends: 5 MRSA §200-O, 5 MRSA §200-P, 5 MRSA §4684-C, 5 MRSA §12004-I, 25 MRSA §2804-M

Legislative Document
No. 2210
H.P. 1417
House of Representatives, February 15, 2024
An Act to Establish a Civil Rights Unit and a Civil Rights Review 
Panel Within the Office of the Attorney General and Require 
Ongoing Enhanced Civil Rights Training for Civil Rights Officers
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Speaker TALBOT ROSS of Portland.
Cosponsored by Senator ROTUNDO of Androscoggin and
Representatives: LANDRY of Farmington, LEE of Auburn, MOONEN of Portland, 
O'CONNELL of Brewer, SACHS of Freeport, SHEEHAN of Biddeford, Senators: BAILEY of 
York, CARNEY of Cumberland.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §200-O is enacted to read:
§200-O.  Civil rights unit
1.  Establishment. The Office of the Attorney General, referred to in this section as 
"the office," shall create a civil rights unit, referred to in this section as "the unit," within 
the office for the purpose of promoting and advancing protections provided under the 
Maine Civil Rights Act.
2.  Duties. The unit shall receive and investigate complaints related to possible 
violations of the Maine Civil Rights Act, initiate civil actions under the Maine Civil Rights 
Act, coordinate with individuals and entities that are dedicated to advancing civil rights 
protections, engage in public education and outreach on civil rights issues related to hate 
and bias to advance civil rights and provide recommendations on how to ensure protections 
of civil rights.
3.  Cooperation; information. A covered entity shall cooperate fully with the unit, 
rendering any assistance requested by the unit. Notwithstanding any provision of state law 
to the contrary, a covered entity shall:
A.  Report to the unit in writing, within 5 business days of the date the covered entity 
becomes aware of the incident, any alleged act or alleged threat of an act known to the 
covered entity that occurred internally or that occurred between or happened to its 
clients or constituents or other individuals it serves and that if proven would constitute 
a violation of the Maine Civil Rights Act; and
B.  Make available to the unit upon request for the purpose of the unit's official duties 
all information in the covered entity's files related to any alleged act or alleged threat 
of an act that if proven would constitute a violation of the Maine Civil Rights Act. 
For the purposes of this subsection, "covered entity" means any of the following: a law 
enforcement agency as defined in section 4684-C, subsection 1, paragraph B, a municipal 
government or a state department or agency or other division of State Government.
4.  Unit staff employment requirements. The Attorney General may require 
prerequisite training, education or work experience for employment in the unit.
5.  Public complaints. The office shall make available numerous unique public 
reporting methods to allow individuals to discreetly submit civil rights violation complaints 
to the unit.
6.  Report. The unit shall, by January 15th of each year, submit a report to the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over civil rights matters.  Before 
the unit may submit the report to the Legislature, the unit shall submit the report to the Civil 
Rights Review Panel established by section 200-P. The report must be submitted to the 
panel no later than January 1st annually.  The report must include:
A.  The total number of complaints received and the sources of those complaints;
B.  The number of complaints submitted directly to the unit through civil rights officers 
as defined in section 4684-C, subsection 1, paragraph A;
C.  The number of complaints received concerning, respectively: 
(1)  Race;
(2)  Color;
(3)  Religion;
(4)  Sex;
(5)  Ancestry;
(6)  National origin;
(7)  Physical or mental disability;
(8)  Sexual orientation; and 
(9)  Gender identity;
D.  The number of complaints that resulted in the filing of a civil action under the 
Maine Civil Rights Act; and
E.  Recommendations concerning ways to improve civil rights protections. 
7. Rulemaking. The office shall adopt rules to implement this section. Rules must 
include guidance and procedures for complying with subsection 3. Rules adopted pursuant 
to this subsection are routine technical rules pursuant to chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 2.  5 MRSA §200-P is enacted to read:
§200-P.  Civil Rights Review Panel
There is created, within the Office of the Attorney General, the Civil Rights Review 
Panel, referred to in this section as "the panel."
1. Composition. The panel is composed of 13 members as follows: 
A.  The Commissioner of Public Safety, ex officio; 
B.  The director of investigations for the Office of the Attorney General, ex officio; 
C.  The director of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, ex officio; 
D.  An attorney who represents plaintiffs in federal or state civil actions for 
discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, ancestry, national origin, 
physical or mental disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, to be appointed by 
the Attorney General; 
E.  An attorney who represents defendants in federal or state civil actions for 
discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, ancestry, national origin, 
physical or mental disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, to be appointed by 
the President of the Senate; 
F.  A criminal prosecutor, to be appointed by the Attorney General; 
G.  A municipal police chief, to be appointed by the Attorney General based on the 
recommendation of an association of police chiefs in the State; 
H.  A county sheriff, to be appointed by the Attorney General based on the 
recommendation of an association of county sheriffs in the State; 
I.  A representative of a statewide organization whose primary mission is related to 
civil liberties, to be appointed by the President of the Senate;
J.  A representative of a statewide organization whose primary mission is related to 
racial justice, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; and
K.  Three citizens, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House.
2. Designees; terms of office. An ex officio member of the panel may appoint a 
designee to represent the ex officio member on the panel for one or more meetings. A 
designee, once appointed, qualifies as a full voting member of the panel and may hold 
office and enjoy all the other rights and privileges of full membership on the panel. The 
appointed members of the panel serve for a term of 3 years. Any vacancy on the panel must 
be filled in the same manner as the original appointment for the unexpired term.  
3. Meetings; officers. The Attorney General shall call the first meeting before January 
1, 2025. The panel shall organize initially and annually thereafter by electing a chair and a 
vice‑chair from among its members. The vice‑chair shall also serve as secretary. The panel 
shall meet at such time or times as may be reasonably necessary to carry out its duties, but 
it shall meet at least once in each calendar quarter at such place and time as the panel 
determines and it shall meet at the call of the chair.
4. Powers and duties. The panel shall examine the civil rights violation complaints 
received by the civil rights unit established by section 200-O. As to each complaint the 
panel examines, the panel shall, to the best of its ability, determine whether there were any 
violations of the Maine Civil Rights Act. If applicable to the particular circumstances of 
the complaint, the panel shall determine whether the internal policies and best practices of 
the employer or organization involved in the incident were followed by the parties involved 
and whether those policies and best practices were sufficient for the particular 
circumstances. The purpose of these examinations is to gather data on the incidence of civil 
rights violations in the State and to inform the panel in its duty to recommend policy 
changes. The panel may not make any determinations or recommendations concerning the 
legal outcome of any complaints it reviews, and the panel may not otherwise sanction the 
parties involved in any complaint examined by the panel. 
The panel shall recommend methods of improving compliance with the Maine Civil Rights 
Act including changes to statutes, rules, training, policies and procedures designed to 
ensure incorporation of best practices in workplaces and other institutions.  
The panel shall receive and review the report written by the civil rights unit pursuant to 
section 200-O, subsection 6 and provide any comments or criticisms of the report to the 
joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over civil rights matters as 
described in subsection 5. 
5. Report; review of civil rights unit report. The panel shall, on January 15th of each 
year, submit a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 
over civil rights matters. The report must include:
A.  A part summarizing the panel's meetings within the prior calendar year; 
B.  A part summarizing the civil rights violation complaints examined by the panel; 
C.  A part containing the panel's recommendations to improve civil rights policy in the 
State; and
D.  A part confirming that the panel has received and reviewed the report submitted by 
the civil rights unit pursuant to section 200-O, subsection 6. The part must also include 
any comments or criticisms the panel wishes to make concerning the contents of the 
report.
6.  Access to information and records. With respect to any complaint subject to 
review by the panel, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary unless prohibited 
by federal law, upon oral or written request of the panel, any person who possesses 
information or records that are necessary and relevant to the panel review of the complaint 
shall as soon as practicable provide the panel with the information and records. 
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary unless prohibited by federal law, 
persons disclosing or providing information or records upon request of the panel are not 
criminally or civilly liable for disclosing or providing information or records in compliance 
with this subsection. The panel in its discretion may consult with content experts or other 
professionals and discuss necessary information or records within the scope of such 
consultations.  
7. Proceedings not confidential. The proceedings of the panel are not confidential.
Sec. 3.  5 MRSA §4684-C, sub-§3 is enacted to read:
3.  Cooperation with civil rights unit.  A civil rights officer shall cooperate fully and 
completely with the civil rights unit established pursuant to section 200-O.  A civil rights 
officer shall comply with the requirements for reporting incidents and sharing file 
information established in section 200-O, subsection 3.
Sec. 4.  5 MRSA §4684-C, sub-§4 is enacted to read:
4.  Ongoing enhanced civil rights training.  A civil rights officer shall undergo 
ongoing enhanced civil rights training administered by the Maine Criminal Justice 
Academy as determined by the Office of the Attorney General.
Sec. 5.  5 MRSA §12004-I, sub-§2-J is enacted to read:
2-J.   
Civil Rights 
Civil Rights Review Panel 
Not Authorized 
MRSA §200-P 
Sec. 6.  25 MRSA §2804-M is enacted to read:
§2804-M.  Ongoing enhanced civil rights training for civil rights officers
A law enforcement officer qualified as a civil rights officer within the meaning of Title 
5, section 4684-C, subsection 1, paragraph A shall undergo ongoing enhanced civil rights 
training administered by the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, as determined by the Office 
of the Attorney General, to remain qualified as a civil rights officer.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes a civil rights unit within the Office of the Attorney General. The 
unit will receive and investigate complaints related to possible violations of the Maine Civil 
Rights Act, initiate civil actions under the Maine Civil Rights Act, coordinate with other 
individuals and entities dedicated to advancing civil rights, engage in public education and 
outreach on civil rights issues related to hate and bias to advance civil rights and provide 
recommendations on how to ensure protections of civil rights. The bill requires that all law 
enforcement agencies, municipal governments and state departments and agencies and any 
other divisions of State Government fully cooperate with the unit, make written reports of 
civil rights violations and provide file information as requested for the purpose of the unit's 
official duties.  The bill grants the Office of the Attorney General the authority to adopt 
rules governing the unit. Finally, the bill requires that all civil rights officers as defined in 
the Maine Civil Rights Act must fully cooperate with the unit as directed by this bill and 
undergo ongoing enhanced civil rights training provided by the Maine Criminal Justice 
Academy as determined by the Office of the Attorney General.
The bill also creates within the Office of the Attorney General the Civil Rights Review 
Panel, which is separate from the civil rights unit. The panel must be composed of 13 
members from various disciplines to be appointed by the Attorney General, the President 
of the Senate or the Speaker of the House as described in the bill. The bill requires the panel 
to examine complaints received by the civil rights unit and use the data collected to inform 
policy recommendations to the Legislature. The civil rights unit must provide the panel 
with a copy of the unit's annual report before the unit submits the report to the Legislature. 
Under the bill, the panel must issue its own separate report summarizing the results of the 
panel's investigations, its policy recommendations and any comments or criticisms the 
panel may have concerning the unit's report. The bill requires that both the panel and the 
unit submit their reports to the Legislature no later than January 15th annually.