An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Right To Know
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 2219
Committee: Judiciary
Amends: 25 MRSA §1577, 26 MRSA §685, 28-B MRSA §114, 29-A MRSA §253, 29-A MRSA §1301, 29-A MRSA §2251, 32 MRSA §2600-A, 32 MRSA §2600-E, 32 MRSA §6080, 32 MRSA §16808

Legislative Document
No. 2219
H.P. 1496
House of Representatives, February 24, 2026
An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Right To Know 
Advisory Committee Concerning Certain Existing Public Records 
Exceptions
Reported by Representative KUHN of Falmouth for the Joint Standing Committee on 
Judiciary pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 1, section 411, subsection 6, paragraph 
G.
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed pursuant to Joint 
Rule 218.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  25 MRSA §1577, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2003, c. 393, §6, is further 
amended to read:
2.  Access to records Permissible disclosure.  The following persons or agencies may 
have access to DNA records may be disclosed to the following persons or agencies:
A.  Local, county, state and federal criminal justice and law enforcement agencies, 
including forensic laboratories serving the agencies, for identification purposes that 
further official criminal investigations;
B.  The FBI for storage and maintenance of CODIS;
C.  Medical examiners and coroners for the purpose of identifying remains; and
D.  A person who has been identified and charged with a criminal offense or a juvenile 
crime as a result of a search of DNA records stored in the state DNA data base.  A 
Disclosure to a person who has been identified and charged with a criminal offense or 
a juvenile crime has access only is limited to that person's records and any other records 
that person is entitled to under the Maine Rules of Evidence.
Sec. 2.  26 MRSA §685, sub-§3, ¶A, as enacted by PL 1989, c. 536, §§1 and 2 and 
affected by c. 604, §§2 and 3, is amended to read:
A.  Unless the employee or applicant consents, all information acquired by an employer 
in the testing process is confidential and may not be released disclosed to any person 
other than the employee or applicant who is tested, any necessary personnel of the 
employer and a provider of rehabilitation or treatment services under subsection 2, 
paragraph C.  This paragraph does not prevent:
(1)  The release disclosure of this information when required or permitted by state 
or federal law, including release disclosure under section 683, subsection 8, 
paragraph D; or
(2)  The use of this information in any grievance procedure, administrative hearing 
or civil action relating to the imposition of the test or the use of test results.
Sec. 3.  28-B MRSA §114, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 396, §3, is amended to read:
§114.  Confidentiality
The home address, telephone number and e-mail address of the applicant, employees 
of the applicant and all natural persons having a direct or indirect financial interest in the 
applied-for license are confidential, except that if the home address, telephone number or 
e-mail address has been provided as public contact information, that information is not 
confidential.
Sec. 4.  29-A MRSA §253, as enacted by PL 1993, c. 683, Pt. A, §2 and affected by 
Pt. B, §5, is amended to read:
§253.  Confidentiality of nongovernment vehicle records
Upon receiving a written request by an appropriate criminal justice official and 
showing cause that it is in the best interest of public safety, the Secretary of State may 
determine that records of a nongovernment vehicle may be held are confidential for a 
specific period of time, which may not exceed the expiration of the current registration.
Sec. 5.  29-A MRSA §1301, sub-§6-A, as amended by PL 2023, c. 257, §13, is 
further amended to read:
6-A.  Confidentiality.  Except as required by 18 United States Code, Section 2721(b) 
or as needed to implement the federal National Voter Registration Act of 1993, the federal 
Help America Vote Act of 2002 or other federal election law, the Secretary of State may 
not disseminate disclose information collected under subsection 6. For every willful 
violation of this subsection, a person commits a civil violation for which a fine of not more 
than $500 may be adjudged.
Sec. 6.  29-A MRSA §2251, sub-§7-A, ¶B, as amended by PL 2023, c. 235, §9, is 
further amended to read:
B.  Except as provided in paragraph B‑1 and Title 16, section 805‑A, subsection 1, 
paragraph F, the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police may not publicly 
disseminate personally identifying accident report data that are contained in an accident 
report database maintained, administered or contributed to by the Bureau of State 
Police are confidential.  Such data are not public records for the purposes of Title 1, 
chapter 13.
Sec. 7.  29-A MRSA §2251, sub-§7-A, ¶B-1, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 654, §8, 
is amended to read:
B-1.  The Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police may disseminate 
disclose a vehicle registration plate number contained in an accident report database 
maintained, administered or contributed to by the Bureau of State Police to a person 
only if that person provides the Bureau of State Police an affidavit stating that the 
person will not:
(1)  Use a vehicle registration plate number to identify or contact a person; or
(2)  Disseminate Disclose a vehicle registration plate number to another person.
Sec. 8.  29-A MRSA §2251, sub-§7-A, ¶C, as amended by PL 2011, c. 662, §19, 
is further amended to read:
C.  The Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police may publicly disseminate 
nonpersonally Nonpersonally identifying accident report data that are contained in an 
accident report database maintained, administered or contributed to by the Bureau of 
State Police are not confidential.  The cost of furnishing a copy of such data is not 
subject to the limitations of Title 1, section 408‑A.
Sec. 9.  32 MRSA §2600-A, as enacted by PL 2001, c. 214, §1, is amended to read:
§2600-A.  Confidentiality of personal information of applicant or licensee
An applicant or licensee shall provide the board with a current professional address and 
telephone number, which will be their public contact address, and a personal residence 
address and, telephone number and e-mail address.  An applicant's or licensee's personal 
residence address and, telephone number is and e-mail address are confidential information 
and may not be disclosed except as permitted by this section or as required by law, unless. 
If the personal residence address and telephone number have been provided as the public 
contact address, the personal residence address and telephone number are not confidential.  
Personal health information submitted as part of any application is confidential information 
and may not be disclosed except as permitted by this section or as required by law.  The 
personal health information and personal residence address and, telephone number and e-
mail address may be provided to other governmental licensing or disciplinary authorities 
or to any health care providers located within or outside this State that are concerned with 
granting, limiting or denying a physician's employment or privileges.
Sec. 10.  32 MRSA §2600-E, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 499, §2, is amended 
to read:
1.  Request for record; redaction.  When the board receives a request to inspect or 
copy all or part of the record of an applicant or licensee, the board shall redact confidential 
information that is not public before making the record available for inspection or copying.
Sec. 11.  32 MRSA §6080, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 662, §2, is amended 
to read:
1.  Confidentiality and prohibited disclosure.  Except as otherwise provided in 
subsection 2 this section, all information or reports obtained by the administrator from an 
applicant for a license, licensee or authorized delegate and all information contained in or 
related to an examination, investigation, operating report or condition report prepared by, 
on behalf of or for the use of the administrator, or financial statements, balance sheets or 
authorized delegate information, are confidential and are not subject to disclosure under 
Title 1, chapter 13.
Sec. 12.  32 MRSA §6080, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 662, §2, is amended 
to read:
2.  Authorized disclosure.  The administrator may disclose confidential information 
not otherwise subject to disclosure under subsection 1 to representatives of state or federal 
agencies who certify in a record that they will maintain the confidentiality of the 
information or if the administrator finds that the release is reasonably necessary for the 
protection and interest of the public.
Sec. 13.  32 MRSA §16808, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 17, §1, is amended to read:
§16808.  Records
A broker-dealer or investment adviser shall provide access to or copies of records that 
are relevant to the suspected or attempted financial exploitation of an eligible adult to the 
Department of Health and Human Services and to a law enforcement agency as part of a 
referral to the department or to a law enforcement agency or upon request of the department 
or a law enforcement agency pursuant to an investigation.  The records may include 
historical records and records relating to recent transactions that may constitute financial 
exploitation of an eligible adult.  All records made available to agencies under this section 
are not public records for purposes of Title 1, chapter 13, subchapter 1 confidential.  
Nothing in this This section limits does not limit or otherwise impedes impede the authority 
of the administrator to access or examine the books and records of broker-dealers and 
investment advisers as otherwise provided by law.
SUMMARY
This bill is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary pursuant to the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 411 to implement statutory changes recommended 
by the Right To Know Advisory Committee. The joint standing committee has not taken a 
position on the substance of this bill. By reporting this bill out, the committee is not 
suggesting and does not intend to suggest that it agrees or disagrees with any aspect of this 
bill. The committee is reporting the bill out for the sole purpose of having a bill printed that 
can be referred to the committee for an appropriate public hearing and subsequent 
processing in the normal course. The committee is taking this action to ensure clarity and 
transparency in the legislative review of the proposals contained in the bill.
This bill implements statutory changes recommended by the Right To Know Advisory 
Committee after reviewing certain existing public records exceptions in Titles 25 to 32. 
The bill does the following.
1. It clarifies to which persons and agencies DNA records may be disclosed.
2. It clarifies the disclosure of information relating to substance abuse testing by an 
employer.
3. It clarifies that personal contact information of an applicant for an adult use cannabis 
establishment license and employees of that establishment is not confidential if it has been 
provided as public contact information. 
4. It clarifies that motor vehicle records of certain nongovernment vehicles are 
confidential. 
5. It clarifies that the Secretary of State may not disclose the social security number of 
an applicant for a driver's license or nondriver identification card.
6. It addresses the confidentiality of personally identifying accident report data 
contained in the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police accident report 
database.
7. It clarifies that certain personal contact information of osteopathic physician 
applicants and licensees is confidential. 
8. It clarifies the Board of Osteopathic Licensure's ability to redact applicant or licensee 
records for potential risks to personal safety.
9. It addresses the disclosure of confidential information held by the Department of 
Professional and Financial Regulation, Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection regarding an 
applicant or licensee related to investigations under the Maine Money Transmission 
Modernization Act.
10. It clarifies the confidentiality of records provided by a broker-dealer or investment 
adviser to the Department of Health and Human Services and law enforcement agencies 
relating to financial exploitation of eligible adults.