An Act to Increase
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1877
Committee Amendment CA_B_H724 (House)
Amends: 17-A MRSA §853

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,l3" to H.P. 1248, L.D. 1877, "An Act to Increase 
Penalties for Human Trafficking Offenses" 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 2. 
Amend the bill in section 3 in subsection 1-A in the 3rd and 4th lines (page 1, lines 32 
and 33 in L.D,) by striking out the following: 
11a period of imprisonment of not less than 20 
years and not more than 30 years and for which a" and inserting the following: 
, in addition 
to any other authorized penalties, a' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 4 to 9 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 4. 17-A MRSA §853, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2023, c, 316, §6, is further 
amended to read: 
1. A person is guilty of sex trafficking if: 
A. The person lmowingly promotes prostitution, Violation of this paragraph is a Class 
±> Q crime for which, in addition to any other authorized penalties. a fine of $10,000 
for an individual and $20,000 for an organization must be adjudged; or 
B. The person violates paragraph A and has 2 or more prior convictions in this State 
for any combination of the Maine offenses listed in this paragraph or for engaging in 
substantially similar conduct to that of the Maine offenses listed in this paragraph in 
another jurisdiction. The Maine offenses are any violation of this section or section 
852, 853-B or 855 or attempts to commit any of these crimes, Section 9-A governs the 
use of prior convictions when determining a sentence. Violation of this paragraph is a 
Class G Ii crime for which, in addition to any other authorized penalties, a fine of 
$25,000 for an individual and $50,000 for an organization must be adjudged, 
Sec. 5. Mandated reporter curriculum review and update. The Department 
of Health and Human Se1-vices shall convene a working group to review the depa1tment-
approved training that mandated rep01ters must complete at least once every 4 years 
pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 4011-A, subsection 9 and shall 
invite representatives of child advocacy centers, community-based agencies with expe1tise 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~os 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"e" to H.P. 1248, L.D. 1877 
working with sexually exploited children and a statewide coalition of sexual assault centers 
to participate in the working group. The depatiment shall repoti the working group's 
findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over health and human services matters by February 15, 2027, The joint 
standing committee may rep01i out legislation related to the subject matter of the repoti to 
the 133rd Legislature in 2027.' 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Pati letter or section 
number to read consecutively, 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the minority repoti of the committee, removes the provisions 
of the bill that establish mandatory minimum jail sentences and mandatory restitution for 
persons convicted of sex trafficking or aggravated sex trafficking. The amendment retains 
the provisions of the bill that increase from a Class D crime to a Class C crime a first 
offense of sex trafficking and increase from a Class C crime to a Class B crime a 3rd or 
subsequent sex trafficking offense. The amendment also retains the provisions of the bill 
that impose mandatory fines for sex trafficking and aggravated sex trafficking offenses and 
that increase the amount a person convicted of sex trafficking or aggravated sex trafficking 
must pay to the Victims' Compensation Fund, 
The amendment fmiher replaces the provision of the bill requiring ce1iain professionals 
to receive human trafficking awareness training every 2 years and instead directs the 
Depruiment of Health and Human Services to convene a working group to review the 
depa1iment-approved training that mandated rep01iers must complete at least once every 4 
years pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 4011-A, subsection 9. The 
depatiment must repoti the working group's findings and recommendations to the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services 
matters by February 15, 2027. The joint standing committee may repoti out legislation 
related to the subject matter of the repoti to the 133rd Legislature in 2027. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Revised: 05/30/25 L-RL 
LD 1877 
LR 1619(03) 
An Act to Increase Penalties for Human Trafficldng Offenses 
. Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment '13 1 { H-7 Z l-1) 
Committee: Judiciary 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor revenue increase - General Fund 
Minor revenue increase - Other Special Revenue Funds 
Correctional and Judicial Impact Statements 
The amendment retains provisions in the bill that increase from Cfass D to Class C the crime of first offense of sex 
trafficking and increases from Class C to Class B the crime of third or subsequent sex trafficking.. It is not known if, 
or how many individuals, may be incarcerated for these crimes. No appropriations have been included in the bill,. 
• The collection of additional fines will increase General Fund or other dedicated revenue by minor amounts. 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Any additional costs to the Department of Health and Human Services to convene a working group and repo1i back to 
the Legislature are expected to be minor and can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
Any increase in revenue to the Office of the Attorney General, Other Special Revenue Funds, from increasing 
assessments deposited into the Victims' Compensation Fund are expected to be minor. 
LR16i9(03) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1