An Act to Amend Maine's Good Samaritan Laws Regarding
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1646
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: TALBOT ROSS, HASENFUS
Amends: 17-A MRSA §1111-B

Legislative Document
No. 1646
S.P. 643
In Senate, April 15, 2025
An Act to Amend Maine's Good Samaritan Laws Regarding 
Suspected Drug-related Overdoses
(AFTER DEADLINE)
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
205.
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator TALBOT ROSS of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representative HASENFUS of Readfield and
Senators: BEEBE-CENTER of Knox, BENNETT of Oxford, CURRY of Waldo, MOORE of 
Washington, Representatives: BLIER of Buxton, CARLOW of Buxton, CRAFTS of 
Newcastle, LAJOIE of Lewiston.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  17-A MRSA §1111-B, first ¶, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 724, §1, is 
amended to read:
When a medical professional or law enforcement officer has been dispatched to the a 
location of a medical emergency in response to a call for assistance for a suspected drug-
related overdose or a call for assistance for a person exhibiting symptoms of a drug-related 
overdose, the following provisions apply to any protected person at the location when the 
medical professional or the law enforcement officer arrives.  The immunity provisions of 
subsections 2 and 3 apply for the duration of the response to the medical emergency and 
end when the medical professional or law enforcement officer leaves the location of the 
medical emergency.
Sec. 2.  17-A MRSA §1111-B, sub-§1, ¶D is enacted to read:
D.  "Symptom of a drug-related overdose" means any physical, cognitive or behavioral 
condition that may reasonably indicate that a person is experiencing a potentially life-
threatening reaction to drug use.  This includes, but is not limited to, altered mental 
status, such as confusion, disorientation, unresponsiveness, agitation or paranoia; 
impaired or irregular breathing, such as shallow, slow, erratic or absent respiration; 
abnormal skin appearance, such as discoloration in skin tone, excessive sweating or 
clamminess; changes in consciousness, such as unconsciousness, difficulty staying 
awake or sudden collapse; involuntary bodily functions, such as vomiting, seizures, 
incontinence or loss of motor control; abnormal vocalizations or respiratory sounds, 
such as choking, gurgling, gasping or loud snoring and any other symptom that could 
reasonably be associated with drug ingestion, use or exposure.
Sec. 3.  17-A MRSA §1111-B, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 724, §1, is 
amended to read:
2.  Immunity from arrest or prosecution.  Except with regard to an excluded crime, 
a protected person is immune from arrest or prosecution for a violation of law if:
A.  The grounds for the arrest or prosecution are obtained as a result of a medical 
professional's or law enforcement officer's responding to a request for medical 
assistance; or
B.  The identity of the protected person is learned or the protected person is identified 
as a person subject to arrest or prosecution as a result of a medical professional's or law 
enforcement officer's responding to a request for medical assistance.
Sec. 4.  17-A MRSA §1111-B, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2021, c. 724, §1, is 
amended to read:
3.  Immunity from revocation or termination proceedings.  Except when the charge 
or conviction is for an excluded crime, a protected person is immune from revocation 
proceedings with regard to conditions of release as described in Title 15, chapter 105‑A, 
subchapter 5; probation as described in chapter 67, subchapter 1; administrative release as 
described in chapter 67, subchapter 2; or supervised community confinement as described 
in Title 34‑A, section 3036‑A and is immune from termination proceedings for deferred 
disposition violations as described in chapter 67, subchapter 4 or termination from 
community confinement monitoring as described in Title 30‑A, section 1659‑A, if:
A.  The grounds for the revocation or termination proceeding against the protected 
person are obtained as a result of a medical professional's or law enforcement officer's 
responding to a request for medical assistance; or
B.  The identity of the protected person is learned or the protected person is identified 
as a person subject to a revocation or termination proceeding as a result of a medical 
professional's or law enforcement officer's responding to a request for medical 
assistance.
SUMMARY
This bill updates the provisions regarding immunity from arrest, prosecution and 
revocation and termination proceedings when assistance has been requested for a suspected 
drug-related overdose to remove references to medical emergencies and expands the scope 
to include calls for assistance for a person exhibiting symptoms of a drug-related overdose.