An Act to Explicitly Allow the Department of Corrections to Charge
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0626
Sponsors: NUTTING
Amends: 34-A MRSA §3035

Legislative Document
No. 626
H.P. 394
House of Representatives, February 25, 2025
An Act to Explicitly Allow the Department of Corrections to Charge 
Room and Board to Residents Who Perform Remote Work in 
Detention and Correctional Facilities and to Amend the Laws 
Governing Rehabilitative Programs
Submitted by the Department of Corrections pursuant to Joint Rule 204.
Received by the Clerk of the House on February 20, 2025.  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 NUTTING of Oakland.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  34-A MRSA §3035, first ¶, as amended by PL 2019, c. 113, Pt. C, §88, is 
further amended to read:
The commissioner may adopt, implement and establish rules for rehabilitative 
programs, including, but not limited to, work release, education release, remote work, 
furlough and, public service release and programs resulting in the payment of restitution, 
as authorized described by Title 17‑A, chapter 69 section 2016, within for residents of the 
facilities under the commissioner's control.
Sec. 2.  34-A MRSA §3035, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2013, c. 80, §7, is further 
amended to read:
1.  Work release and restitution, education release, remote work and public 
service release.  The chief administrative officer may permit any client resident under 
sentence to the department and any juvenile client residing at a facility under the 
commissioner's control considered to be worthy of trust to participate in activities outside 
the facility, including, but not limited to, work release, education release and public service 
release, or remote work activities within the facility under the following conditions.
A.  Activities may include training and employment.
B.  Activities are subject to rules promulgated adopted by the commissioner.
C.  Activities must, in the judgment of the chief administrative officer, contribute to 
the reformation of the client resident and assist in preparing the client resident for 
eventual release.
D.  Transportation to work release job sites in the community must be approved by the 
chief administrative officer.
(1)  Clients Residents participating in the work release program may be assessed 
an equitable share of the cost of the transportation.
(2)  Funds received from clients residents for work release transportation must be 
placed in the General Fund.
E.  Every client resident participating in the work release program or in remote work 
activities is liable for the cost of room and board in the facility.
(1)  The reasonable cost of room and board for a client resident in a facility is fixed 
by the commissioner.  In fixing the reasonable cost of the room and board to be 
paid, the commissioner shall take into consideration other state laws or judicial 
determinations that affect the client's resident's income.
(2)  Funds received from clients residents for the room and board must be placed 
in the General Fund.
SUMMARY
This bill explicitly allows the Commissioner of Corrections to charge room and board 
to residents who perform remote work in a facility under the commissioner's control and 
amends the laws governing rehabilitative programs to add references to education release, 
public service release and remote work.