An Act to Eliminate the Juvenile Crime of Willful Refusal to Pay a
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 2126
Committee: Judiciary
Sponsors: CARNEY
Amends: 15 MRSA §3103, 15 MRSA §3201, 15 MRSA §3310, 15 MRSA §3314

Legislative Document
No. 2126
S.P. 804
In Senate, January 7, 2026
An Act to Eliminate the Juvenile Crime of Willful Refusal to Pay a 
Fine or Comply with the Terms of a Court Order
Submitted by the Department of Corrections pursuant to Joint Rule 203.
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator CARNEY of Cumberland.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  15 MRSA §3103, sub-§1, ¶C, as amended by PL 2003, c. 305, §2, is further 
amended to read:
C.  Offenses involving intoxicating liquor, as provided in Title 28‑A, sections 2051 and 
2052 and offenses involving refusal to provide proper identification as provided in Title 
28‑A, section 2087; and
Sec. 2.  15 MRSA §3103, sub-§1, ¶G, as repealed and replaced by PL 2003, c. 688, 
Pt. A, §12, is amended to read:
G.  A violation of section 393, subsection 1, paragraph C or section 393, subsection 
1‑A; and.
Sec. 3.  15 MRSA §3103, sub-§1, ¶H, as amended by PL 2025, c. 431, §7, is 
repealed.
Sec. 4.  15 MRSA §3201, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2025, c. 431, §9, is further 
amended to read:
1.  Warrantless arrests.  Arrests without warrants of juveniles for juvenile crimes 
defined by section 3103, subsection 1, paragraphs A, and G and H by law enforcement 
officers or private persons must be made pursuant to the provisions of Title 17‑A, sections 
and 16.  For purposes of this section, a juvenile crime defined under section 3103, 
subsection 1, paragraph H is deemed a Class D or Class E crime.  A law enforcement officer 
or private person may not arrest a juvenile for a juvenile crime defined by section 3103, 
subsection 1, paragraph B or C.
Sec. 5.  15 MRSA §3310, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2025, c. 431, §15, is further 
amended to read:
4.  Standard of proof.  If the court finds that the elements of the juvenile crime as 
defined in section 3103, subsection 1, paragraph A, or G or H are not supported by evidence 
beyond a reasonable doubt or that the elements of a juvenile crime as defined in section 
3103, subsection 1, paragraph B or C are not supported by a preponderance of the evidence, 
the court shall order the petition dismissed and the juvenile discharged from any detention 
or restriction previously ordered.  The juvenile's parents, guardian or other legal custodian 
must also be discharged from any restriction or other temporary order.
Sec. 6.  15 MRSA §3310, sub-§5, ¶A, as amended by PL 2025, c. 431, §16, is 
further amended to read:
A.  If the court finds that the allegations of the petition alleging a juvenile crime as 
defined in section 3103, subsection 1, paragraph A, or G or H are supported by 
evidence beyond a reasonable doubt or that the allegations of a petition alleging a 
juvenile crime as defined in section 3103, subsection 1, paragraph B or C are supported 
by a preponderance of the evidence, the court shall adjudge that the juvenile committed 
a juvenile crime and shall, in all such adjudications, issue an order of adjudication.
Sec. 7.  15 MRSA §3314, sub-§1, ¶G, as amended by PL 2025, c. 431, §17, is 
further amended to read:
G.  Except for a violation of the juvenile crimes defined in section 3103, subsection 1, 
paragraph H, the The court may impose a fine, subject to Title 17‑A, sections 1701 to 
1711, except that there is no mandatory minimum fine amount.  For the purpose of this 
section, juvenile crimes defined in section 3103, subsection 1, paragraphs B and C and 
juvenile crimes under Title 12 or Title 29‑A are subject to a fine of up to $1,000.
SUMMARY
This bill repeals the provision of law that establishes the juvenile crime of willful 
refusal to pay a fine imposed by court order or willful failure to comply with the terms of 
any other court order.