An Act to Ensure Determinations Made by the State Are Free from
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0872
Committee: Energy, Utilities and Technology
Sponsors: FRIEDMANN
Amends: 5 MRSA §1977

Legislative Document
No. 872
H.P. 558
House of Representatives, March 4, 2025
An Act to Ensure Determinations Made by the State Are Free from 
Unethical, Unsafe or Illegal Interference by Artificial Intelligence
Reference to the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Technology suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative FRIEDMANN of Bar Harbor.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §1977 is enacted to read:
§1977.  Artificial intelligence software
1. Office responsible for artificial intelligence software.  The office shall create, 
maintain and ensure the use of a list of approved artificial intelligence software or systems 
for procurement and use by an agency, administrator, agent, employee or subcontractor of 
the State.
2. Purchase and use of software employing artificial intelligence. The State, 
including an agency, administrator, agent, employee or subcontractor of the State, may not 
purchase or use software employing artificial intelligence unless the software:
A. Demonstrably conforms to ethical, legal and safety standards that ensure the 
software can provide explicable and transparent decision making that guarantees that 
the State maintains the sovereign, intentional control of the behavior of the software to 
enable the State to fully comply with constitutional and legal mandates; and
B. Guarantees that a resident affected by a decision made by the State with the 
assistance of the software is afforded the ability to secure due process and has an 
accessible and affordable way to understand, review and appeal the decision.
3. Office to seek collaboration on use of artificial intelligence. The office shall 
remain current on the status and advancement of artificial intelligence, in collaboration 
with the Federal Government, other states, municipalities, other national governments and 
other public and private organizations, to maintain access to ethical, legal, safe and 
affordable forms of artificial intelligence to allow the State and residents of the State to:
A. Effectively fulfill governmental and civic obligations;
B. Guarantee rights under the United States Constitution and the Constitution of Maine 
and state and federal laws, rules and regulations; and
C. Advance economic, cultural and environmental well-being.
4. Ethical, legal and safety standards. The Chief Information Officer shall establish 
ethical, legal and safety standards under this section by rule pursuant to section 1982, 
subsection 8.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Office of Information Technology within the Department of 
Administrative and Financial Services to be responsible for creating, maintaining and 
ensuring the use of a list of approved artificial intelligence software or systems for 
procurement and use by the State.  The bill also prohibits the purchase and use of artificial 
intelligence software by the State unless the State maintains the sovereign, intentional 
control of the behavior of the software to enable the State to fully comply with 
constitutional and legal mandates and secures the right to due process by guaranteeing that 
residents affected by a decision made by the State with the assistance of the software have 
an accessible and affordable way to understand, review and appeal the decision.