An Act to Implement
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1941
Committee Amendment CA_B_H978 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "'|3 " to H.P. 1300, L.D. 1941, "An Act to Implement
Recommendations of the Commission to Examine Reestablishing Parole"
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
'Resolve, Establishing the Commission to Examine the Intersection of Parole and
Current Sentencing Practices'
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and inserting the following:
'See. 1. Commission established. Resolved: That the Commission to Examine
the Intersection of Parole and Current Sentencing Practices, referred to in this resolve as
"the commission," is established.
Sec. 2. Commission membership. Resolved: That, notwithstanding Joint Rule
353, the commission consists of 13 members as follows:
1. Two members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, mcluding one
member from each of the 2 parties holding the largest number of seats in the Legislature;
2. Three members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of the
House, including at least one member from each of the 2 parties holding the largest number
of seats in the Legislature;
3. The Commissioner of Corrections or the commissioner's designee;
4, The Attorney General or the Attorney General's designee;
5. A district attorney, designated by an association representing prosecutors in the
State;
6. A representative of an organization advocating for the interests of persons who are
incarcerated, appointed by the President of the Senate;
7. A member who is an expert in criminal procedure, appointed by the President of the
Senate;
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
^o8..
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT " |^" to H.P. 1300, L.D. 1941
8. A member with experience in the fields of criminal sentencing or criminology or
with experience in administering parole, appointed by the Speaker of the House;
9. A representative of an organization advocating for the interests of racial minorities,
appointed by the Speaker of the House; and
10. An active or retired judge or justice, designated by the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Judicial Court,
Sec. 3. Chairs. Resolved: That the first-named Senate member is the Senate chair
and the first-named House of Representatives member is the House chair of the
commission.
Sec. 4. Appointments; convening of commission. Resolved: That all
appointments must be made no later than 120 days followmg the adjournment of the Second
Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature. The appointing authorities shall notify the
Executive Director of the Legislative Council once all appointments have been completed.
After appointment of all members, the chairs shall call and convene the first meeting of the
commission. If 120 days or more after the adjournment of the Second Regular Session of
the 132nd Legislature a majority of but not all appointments have been made, the chairs
may request authority and the Legislative Council may grant authority for the commission
to meet and conduct its business.
Sec. 5. Duties. Resolved; That the commission shall examine parole as it currently
operates in this State and m other states and shall consider:
1, How parole fits in with the overall sentencing fi-amework of the Maine Revised
Statutes, including the intersection of parole with probation and the supervised community
confinement program operated by the Department of Corrections pursuant to Title 34-A,
section 3036-A;
2. The consequences of reestablishing retrospective or prospective parole, including
an exploration of the laws and experience of any other states that have recently established
or reestablished parole; and
3. The decision-making process that should be employed by the State Parole Board,
including any training required to ensure parity between sentencing decisions made by the
courts and parole decisions made by the board.
Sec. 6. Staff assistance. Resolved: That the Legislative Council shall provide
necessary staffing services to the commission, except that the Legislative Council staff
support is not authorized when the Legislature is in regular or special session.
Sec. 7. Consultants. Resolved: That the commission may request that individuals
with specific expertise in parole and the logistics of parole systems, including but not
limited to current employees of the Department of Corrections and members of the State
Parole Board, serve as consultants to the commission.
See. 8. Report. Resolved: That, no later than November 4, 2026, the commission
shall submit a report that includes its findmgs and recommendations, mcluding suggested
legislation, to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over
judiciary matters. The joint standing committee may report out legislation based on the
recommendations of the commission to 133rd Legislature in 2027.'
Page2-132LR1826(04)
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
^os
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"!^" to H,P. 1300. L.D. 1941
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section
number to read consecutively.
SUMMARY
This amendment replaces the bill with a resolve establishing the Commission to
Examine the Intersection of Parole and Current Sentencing Practices. The amendment
requires the commission to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the j oint
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over judiciary matters by
November 4, 2026 and authorizes the joint standing committee to submit legislation based
on the findings and recommendations in the report to the 133rd Legislature in 2027.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Approved; 03/26/26
L-RL
LD 1941 LR 1826(04)
An Act to Implement Recommendations of the Commission to Examine Reestablishing Parole
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 'JZ, f .(4 -
Committee: Judiciary
Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Fiscal Note
Legislative Cost/Study
Legislative Cost/Study
The general operating expenses of this study are projected to be $3,750 in fiscal year 2026-27. The Legislature's
budget for the 2026-2027 biennium includes $7,253 in fiscal year 2025-26 and $17,696 in fiscal year 2026-27 for
costs of legislative studies, as well as $41,338 of balances carried over from prior fiscal years for this purpose,
Whether these amounts are sufficient to fund all studies will depend on the number of studies authorized by the
Legislative Council and the Legislature. The additional costs of providing staffing assistance to the study during the
interim can be absorbed utilizing existing budgeted staff resources,
Fiscal Detail and Notes
Any additional costs to the Departments of Corrections and the Attorney General from the provisions of this bill are
expected to be minor and can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources, If the Permanent Commission on the
Status of Racial, Indigenous, and Tribal Populations (PCSRITP) is selected to serve on the Commission created by
this bill, then the costs to PCSRITP from the provisions of this bill are expected to be minor and can be absorbed
within existing budgeted resources.
LR1826(04) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1