An Act to Repeal the Provisions of Law Requiring Motor Vehicle
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1401
Committee: Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services
Sponsors: MORRIS
Amends: 29-A MRSA §1605, 29-A MRSA §1605-B, 29-A MRSA §1861

Legislative Document
No. 1401
H.P. 923
House of Representatives, April 1, 2025
An Act to Repeal the Provisions of Law Requiring Motor Vehicle 
Liability Insurance Policies to Cover the Cost of Towing and Storing 
Certain Vehicles
Reference to the Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services 
suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MORRIS of Turner.
Cosponsored by Representatives: FOLEY of Wells, SWALLOW of Houlton, WADSWORTH 
of Hiram, Senators: STEWART of Aroostook, TIMBERLAKE of Androscoggin.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  29-A MRSA §1605, sub-§1, ¶C, as amended by PL 2023, c. 395, Pt. A, 
§1, is further amended to read:
C.  Be in the amount or limit of at least:
(1)  For damage to property, $25,000;
(2)  For injury to or death of any one person, $50,000;
(3)  For one accident resulting in injury to or death of more than one person, 
$100,000; and
(4)  For medical payments pursuant to section 1605‑A, $2,000; and.
(5)  For towing and storage charges pursuant to section 1605‑B, $500.
Sec. 2.  29-A MRSA §1605-B, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 395, Pt. A, §2, is repealed.
Sec. 3.  29-A MRSA §1861, first ¶, as amended by PL 2023, c. 395, Pt. A, §3, is 
further amended to read:
A person holding or storing an abandoned vehicle, holding or storing a vehicle towed 
at the request of the vehicle's operator, owner or owner's agent or holding or storing a 
vehicle stored at the request of a law enforcement officer may hold the vehicle and all its 
accessories, contents and equipment, not including the personal effects of the registered 
owner, until reasonable towing and storage charges of the person holding or storing the 
vehicle are paid, except that a person may not hold the perishable cargo of a commercial 
motor vehicle, as defined in 49 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 390.5, as amended, when 
the perishable cargo being transported in interstate or intrastate commerce is not owned by 
the motor carrier or driver of the commercial motor vehicle being held and the person 
holding or storing the towed vehicle is presented with evidence of insurance, as defined in 
section 1551, covering the commercial motor vehicle and the vehicle's cargo.  For purposes 
of this paragraph, "perishable cargo" means cargo of a commercial motor vehicle that is 
subject to spoilage or decay or is marked with an expiration date. The owner of the vehicle 
shall maintain, at a minimum, the amounts of motor vehicle financial responsibility in 
accordance with section 1605‑B to pay the reasonable towing and storage charges of the 
person holding or storing the vehicle.
SUMMARY
This bill repeals the laws requiring motor vehicle liability coverage in an amount up to 
$500 per accident for the towing and storage charges incurred as a result of an accident 
involving the insured vehicle if the vehicle is towed at the request of a law enforcement 
officer.