An Act to Expand the Types of Convictions Eligible for Sealing
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1919
Committee: Judiciary
Amends: 15 MRSA §2261, 15 MRSA §2262, 15 MRSA §2262-A, 15 MRSA §2263

Legislative Document
No. 1919
H.P. 1280
House of Representatives, May 6, 2025
An Act to Expand the Types of Convictions Eligible for Sealing 
Through a Post-judgment Motion to Seal Criminal History Record 
Information
Reported by Representative KUHN of Falmouth for the Joint Standing Committee on 
Judiciary pursuant to Resolve 2023, chapter 103, section 8.
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Sec. 1.  15 MRSA §2261, sub-§6, as repealed and replaced by PL 2023, c. 639, §1, 
is amended to read:
6.  Eligible criminal conviction.    "Eligible criminal conviction" means:
A.  A conviction for a current or former Class E crime, except a conviction for a current 
or former Class E crime under Title 17‑A, chapter 11; and
B.  A conviction for a crime when the crime was committed prior to January 30, 2017 
for:
(1)  Aggravated trafficking, furnishing or cultivation of scheduled drugs under 
Title 17‑A, former section 1105 when the person was convicted of cultivating 
scheduled drugs, the scheduled drug was marijuana and the crime committed was 
a Class D crime;
(2)  Aggravated cultivating of marijuana under Title 17‑A, section 1105‑D, 
subsection 1, paragraph A, subparagraph (4);
(3)  Aggravated cultivating of marijuana under Title 17‑A, section 1105‑D, 
subsection 1, paragraph B‑1, subparagraph (4);
(4)  Aggravated cultivating of marijuana under Title 17‑A, section 1105‑D, 
subsection 1, paragraph D, subparagraph (4); and
(5)  Unlawful possession of a scheduled drug under Title 17‑A, former section 
1107 when that drug was marijuana and the underlying crime was a Class D crime.; 
C.  A conviction for unlawful possession of a scheduled drug under Title 17-A, section 
1107-A or Title 17-A, former section 1107; 
D.  A conviction for a crime under Title 17-A, chapter 45, except for a conviction for 
a Class A crime under Title 17-A, section 1105-A or a conviction for a crime that 
involved the use of a firearm; and 
E.  A conviction for a current or former Class D crime, except: 
(1)  A conviction for a current or former Class D crime under Title 17‑A, chapter 
or 12;
(2)  A conviction for violation of condition of release under section 1092 
committed while the defendant was on preconviction or post-conviction bail for a 
crime under Title 17-A, chapter 11 or 12;
(3)  A conviction for a current or former Class D crime under Title 17-A, section 
852, 853 or 855;
(4)  A conviction for assault under Title 17-A, section 207 if the defendant was or 
could have been charged with a crime under Title 17-A, chapter 11 or 12 arising 
out of the same course of conduct;
(5)  A conviction for stalking under Title 17-A, section 210-A or 210-C;
(6)  Unless a sentence has been commuted, any conviction involving a crime of 
domestic violence or any crime involving domestic violence, as defined in section 
1003, subsection 3-A;
(7)  A violation of a protective order, as specified in section 321, subsection 6; Title 
5, section 4659, subsection 2; Title 17-A, section 506-B; Title 19-A, former section 
4011, subsection 3; Title 19-A, former section 4012, subsection 5; or Title 19-A, 
section 4113, subsection 1;
(8)  A conviction for cruelty to animals under Title 17, section 1031;
(9)  A conviction for a crime against a family or household member, as defined in 
Title 19-A, section 4102, subsection 6 or Title 19-A, former section 4002, 
subsection 4, regardless of whether the relationship was an element of that crime, 
if 20 years have passed since the judgment of conviction was entered; or
(10)  A conviction for the crime of violation of a condition of release, pursuant to 
section 1092, committed while the defendant is released on preconviction or 
post-conviction bail for a charge that involves a crime against a family or 
household member, as defined in Title 19-A, section 4102, subsection 6 or Title 
19-A, former section 4002, subsection 4, regardless of whether the relationship was 
an element of that crime, if 20 years have passed since the judgment of conviction 
was entered.
Sec. 2.  15 MRSA §2262, first ¶, as amended by PL 2023, c. 409, §1, is further 
amended to read:
Except as provided in section 2262‑A, criminal history record information relating to 
a one or more specific criminal conviction convictions may be sealed under this chapter 
only if:
Sec. 3.  15 MRSA §2262-A, first ¶, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 409, §2, is amended 
to read:
Criminal history record information relating to a one or more specific criminal 
conviction convictions for engaging in prostitution under Title 17‑A, former section 853-A 
must be sealed under this chapter if:
Sec. 4.  15 MRSA §2263, as amended by PL 2023, c. 409, §3, is further amended to 
read:
§2263.  Motion; persons who may file
A person may file a written motion seeking a court order sealing the person's criminal 
history record information relating to a one or more specific criminal conviction 
convictions in the underlying criminal proceeding based on a court determination that the 
person satisfies the statutory prerequisites specified in section 2262 or 2262‑A. The written 
motion must briefly address each of the statutory prerequisites.
SUMMARY
This bill is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary to implement 
statutory changes recommended by the Criminal Records Review Committee established 
in Resolve 2023, chapter 103.  The joint standing committee has not taken a position on 
the substance of this bill.  By reporting this bill out, the joint standing committee is not 
suggesting and does not intend to suggest that it agrees or disagrees with any aspect of this 
bill; instead, the joint standing committee is reporting the bill out for the sole purpose of 
having a bill printed that can be referred to the joint standing committee for an appropriate 
public hearing and subsequent processing in the normal course.  The joint standing 
committee is taking this action to ensure clarity and transparency in the legislative review 
of the proposals contained in the bill.
This bill implements several recommendations of the Criminal Records Review 
Committee.  The bill amends the laws governing the filing of post-judgment motions to 
seal criminal history information by:
1. Allowing the sealing of criminal history record information related to convictions 
for unlawful possession of scheduled drugs, regardless of the class of the offenses;
2. Allowing the sealing of criminal history record information related to convictions 
for any violation of the criminal laws governing drugs, except a conviction for the Class A 
crime of aggravated trafficking or any conviction for a crime that involved the use of a 
firearm;
3. Allowing the sealing of convictions for all current and former Class D crimes, except 
specifically enumerated crimes involving violence; and
4. Clarifying that a person may file a motion to seal the criminal history record 
information for more than one criminal conviction as long as the person satisfies the 
statutory prerequisites for each conviction to be sealed.