An Act to Amend the Mame Human Rights Act Regarding Right-to-sue Letters
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1001
Committee Amendment CA_A_H195 (House)
Amends: 5 MRSA §4612, 5 MRSA §4622

CO:Mlv.lITIBE MAENDMENT "A" to HP 637, L D 1001, "An Act to Amend the 
Mame Human Rights Act Regarding Right-to-sue Letters" 
Amend the bill by stnkmg out everything after the enactmg clause and mserting the 
following 
'Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §4612, sub-§6, as amended by PL 1995, c 462, Pt A, §7, 1s 
repealed and the following enacted m its place 
6. Issuance of right-to-sue letter. The commiss10n may issue a right-to-sue letter 
only m accordance with this subsect10n 
A If. later than the 180th day after the date a complaint is filed with the commission, 
the commission has not filed a civil action m the case or has not entered into a 
concihat1on agreement m the case, the complainant may submit a written request for a 
nght-to-sue letter and the commission shall issue the requested right-to-sue letter 
B If a complamant submits a written request for a nght-to-sue letter before the 180th 
day after the date a complaint is filed with the commission, the commiss10n shall issue 
a nght-to-sue letter if 
(1) The executive director of the commission determmes that the complainant has 
demonstrated good cause for requesting the right-to-sue letter before the expiration 
of the 180-day period after the filmg of the complaint. and 
(2) The executive director of the commission certifies that 1t is probable that the 
commission will not be able to conclude its mvestigat10n before the 180-day period 
after the filmg of the complamt 
If the commission issues aright-to-sue letter m accordance with this subsection. it shall end 
its mvesttgation of the complaint unless the executive director of the commission and legal 
counsel to the commiss10n determine that proceedmg with the mvestlgatton would achieve 
the purposes of this chapter, m which case the commission shall contmue to mvest1gate the 
complamt as if it had been filed by an employee of the comm1ss1on under section 4611 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
ROS 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" 14-,, to HP 637, L D 1001 
Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §4622, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2021, c 366, §21, is further 
amended by enacting after paragraph D a new blocked paragraph to read. 
If 1he commission issued a nght-to-sue letter, the plamtiff may not be awarded attorney's 
fees, civil penal damages or compensatory and punitive damages unless the plaintiff 
establishes that the plaintiff received the right-to-sue letter before fihng the civil act10n ' 
Amend the bill by relettermg or renumbermg any nonconsecutive Part letter or section 
number to read consecutively 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the maJonty report of the committee, strikes the prov1S1on 
of the bill that allows the Mame Human Rights Comm1ss1on to issue a nght-to-sue letter to 
a complamant on the 181 st day after a complamt is filed with the commission without 
receivmg a request for a right-to-sue letter from the complamant 
Instead, the amendment requires the commission to issue a right-to-sue letter to a 
complamant if the complamant submits a written request for a nght-to-sue letter more than 
days after filmg a complaint with the commission The amendment also authorizes the 
commission to issue a nght-to-sue letter to a complamant less than 180 days after the filing 
of a complaint 1f the complainant submits a request m writing and the executive director of 
the commission determmes that the complamant has demonstrated good cause for 
subm1ttmg an early request for a nght-to-sue letter and that it is probable that the 
commission will not be able to complete its mvest1gatlon within 180 days of the fihng of 
the complamt 
The amendment also requires the commission to end its mvesttgatlon whenever the 
commission issues a nght-to-sue letter to a complainant unless the executive director of the 
commission and legal counsel to the commission determme that proceedmg with the 
investigation would achieve the purposes of the Mame Human Rights Act 
If this 
determmation 1s made, the comm1ss10n must contmue to mvestigate the complamt as if it 
had onginally been filed by an employee of the comm1ss1on 
FISCAL NOTE REQUffiED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved 04/23/23 ;!Ya<::!. 
LD 1001 
LR 1243(02) 
An Act to Amend the Maine Human Rights Act Regarding Right-to-sue Letters 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 'jf' { /( ~ /j 5] 
Committee: Judiciary 
-:_) 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Mmor cost increase - General Fund 
Mmor revenue mcrease - General Fund 
'orrectional and Judicial Impact Statements 
This bill may mc1ease the number of civil suits filed 111 the court system 
The additional workload associated with the mm1mal number of new cases filed 111 the court system does not require 
add1t10nal fundmg at this tune. 
The collection of addit10nal filmg fees will increase General Fund revenue by mmor amounts 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Add1t10nal costs to the Mame Human Rights Commiss10n associated with the provis10ns of this bill are expected to 
be mmor and can be absorbed w1thm ex1stmg budgeted resources 
LR1243(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1