An Act to Establish a Sustainable Housing Development Prison
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1693
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Sponsors: MACIAS
Amends: 34-A MRSA §3036-C

Legislative Document
No. 1693
H.P. 1128
House of Representatives, April 17, 2025
An Act to Establish a Sustainable Housing Development Prison 
Work Program
Reference to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MACIAS of Topsham.
Cosponsored by Representatives: BUNKER of Farmington, DEBRITO of Waterville, 
HASENFUS of Readfield, LOOKNER of Portland, MILLIKEN of Blue Hill, RAY of 
Lincolnville.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  34-A MRSA §3036-C is enacted to read:
§3036-C.  Sustainable housing development work program
1.  Establishment.  In accordance with the requirements of this section, the department, 
in consultation with the Department of Labor and the Maine State Housing Authority, shall 
establish and administer a sustainable housing development work program, referred to in 
this section as “the program,” for eligible residents committed to the department.  For the 
purposes of this section, "resident" has the same meaning as in section 3015, subsection 1, 
paragraph B.
2.  Eligibility.  The department shall establish eligibility standards for resident 
participation in the program and shall ensure that residents participating in the program 
accurately reflect the demographics of the general resident populations of all correctional 
facilities.   
3.  Purposes.  The program must be designed to: 
A.  Train participating residents in home construction and carpentry, renewable energy 
installation, green building techniques, life skills, financial literacy and environmental 
stewardship;
B.  Establish partnerships with community colleges and trade organizations to offer 
home construction-related certification programs to participating residents;
C.  Facilitate the construction of homes by participating residents and others.
(1)  A home constructed through the program must:
(a)  Meet or exceed applicable energy efficiency standards under the Maine 
Uniform Building and Energy Code under Title 10, chapter 1103; and
(b)  Have at least 50% of its energy consumption provided by renewable energy 
sources.
(2)  Priority must be given to materials sourced from within the State in 
constructing homes, and construction waste must be minimized by using 
appropriate recycling programs.
(3)  Homes constructed through the program must be owned by the State, through 
the Maine State Housing Authority or other state entity as determined by the 
commissioner; and
D.  To the greatest extent possible, facilitate the acquisition of living arrangements for 
residents who participated in the program in homes that were constructed under the 
program upon completion of each resident’s sentence of imprisonment and release 
from a correctional facility.  
4.  Sentence deduction.  Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a 
resident participating in the program is eligible for a deduction of one day from the 
resident’s sentence of imprisonment for every 40 hours of work completed under the 
program, with total deductions under this subsection not to exceed 25% of the resident’s 
original sentence, subject to satisfaction of the following conditions, as determined by the 
commissioner:
A.  The resident has maintained a custody classification of minimum or lower and 
demonstrated good conduct throughout the resident’s participation in the program; and
B.  The resident has consistently met safety and quality standards in the resident's 
completed work under the program.
5.  Sustainable Housing Development Work Program Fund; program funding.  
The Sustainable Housing Development Work Program Fund, referred to in this section as 
“the fund,” is established within the department as a nonlapsing fund for the purpose of 
receiving any funds to support the program. The department may accept money for deposit 
into the fund from any source, public or private, and money in the fund may be used to 
offset the costs of training and materials related to the program.  The department shall seek 
additional funding for the program through grants, private sector partnerships and federal 
programs to support green energy and housing development.
6.  Program oversight committee.  The commissioner, in consultation with the 
Department of Labor and the Maine State Housing Authority, shall establish a committee 
to provide independent oversight of the program, including by monitoring the program’s 
implementation and continued adherence to the requirements of this section and the rules 
adopted by the department pursuant to subsection 8. 
7.  Reporting.  On or before January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, department shall 
submit a report to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over 
criminal justice and public safety matters, which must include, but is not limited to, the 
following information regarding the program: the training opportunities for residents 
provided under the program, the number of homes built through the program, the green 
building techniques integrated into those homes, sentence reductions provided through the 
program, recidivism rates for residents who participated in the program and financial 
expenditures related to the program.  After reviewing the report, the committee may report 
out to the Legislature related legislation.
8.  Rules.  The department, after consultation with the Department of Labor and the 
Maine State Housing Authority, shall adopt rules as necessary to implement this section. 
Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 2.  Bureau of Revenue Services; sustainable housing development 
prison work program tax credit.  The Department of Administrative and Financial 
Services, Bureau of Revenue Services shall develop a proposal for implementation of a 
refundable tax credit for persons donating materials or services to the sustainable housing 
development work program established by the Department of Corrections pursuant to the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 34-A, section 3036-C.  The credit must be equal to 100% of 
the market value of the documented materials or services provided to that program by a 
person.  By December 3, 2025, the bureau shall submit a report setting forth the tax credit 
proposal, including necessary implementing legislation, along with any recommendations 
to the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation.  After reviewing the report, the committee 
may report out related legislation to the Second Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the Department of Corrections to establish and administer a 
sustainable housing development work program in consultation with the Department of 
Labor and the Maine State Housing Authority. 
The program must be designed to train residents of the Department of Corrections in 
home construction techniques with an emphasis on green and renewable construction 
methods. It must also establish partnerships with community colleges and trade 
organizations to offer home construction-related certification programs to participating 
residents. Lastly, it must facilitate the construction of homes by the residents and other 
individuals participating in the program. 
The homes must be constructed to meet or exceed applicable energy efficiency 
standards under the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code and have at least 50% of 
their energy consumption provided by renewable energy sources. The program must give 
priority to construction materials sourced from within the State, and construction waste 
must be minimized by using recycling programs. Constructed homes must be owned by the 
Maine State Housing Authority or other state agency determined appropriate by the 
Commissioner of Corrections. 
Participating residents are eligible for a sentence reduction of one day for every 40 
hours of work completed under the program. Residents must also maintain a custody 
classification of minimum or lower during their participation in the program, and all work 
completed through the program must meet safety and quality standards as determined by 
the commissioner. Sentence reductions may not exceed 25% of a resident’s total term of 
imprisonment. 
The bill establishes a nonlapsing fund within the Department of Corrections for the 
purposes of supporting the program. The bill also requires the commissioner to establish 
an oversight committee, which must monitor the implementation of the program and the 
program’s adherence to the provisions of the bill and any rules the commissioner 
establishes related to the program. The department is required to submit an annual report 
regarding the program starting January 1, 2026 to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over criminal justice and public safety matters. The report 
must include how many homes have been built under the program, the adherence to 
renewable standards as required by the program, recidivism rates of residents participating 
in the program, the amount of sentence reductions applied and the cost of the program. 
The bill also directs the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau 
of Revenue Services to develop a proposal for implementation of a refundable tax credit 
for persons donating materials or services to the program. By December 3, 2025, the bureau 
must submit a report setting forth the tax credit proposal, including necessary implementing 
legislation, along with any recommendations to the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation.