# Maine LD 1651: An Act to Remove the Term "Alleged" When Referring to Victims of Sexual Assault in the Provisions of the Maine Revised Statutes Pertaining to Forensic Examinations Maine LD 1651, An Act to Remove the Term "Alleged" When Referring to Victims of Sexual Assault in the Provisions of the Maine Revised Statutes Pertaining to Forensic Examinations, is a 132nd Maine Legislature (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by Dylan Pugh (Democratic); status signed, last action 2025-05-23 (Signed by Governor, ACTPUB Chapter 109); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-17). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1651-132 - As of: 2026-10-17 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Maine LD 1651 - State: Maine - Session: 132nd Maine Legislature (2025-2026) - Title: An Act to Remove the Term "Alleged" When Referring to Victims of Sexual Assault in the Provisions of the Maine Revised Statutes Pertaining to Forensic Examinations - Status: signed - Chamber: House - Introduced: 2025-04-15 - Last action: 2025-05-23, Signed by Governor, ACTPUB Chapter 109 - Sponsor: Dylan Pugh (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 7 - Subjects: CRIMES, CRIMES - SEX OFFENSES - Touches household money: yes - Economic provisions PRIA read: 6 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Exams allowed when victim is unconscious: benefit, medium. Hospitals and providers may perform a forensic exam when a victim is unconscious and an emergency justifies it. The exam must preserve the victim’s anonymity, and police must tell the district attorney right away that a kit was completed. Providers who use due care are not liable for acts or omissi… - Free confidential sexual assault exams: benefit, medium. You do not have to report to police to get a forensic exam. Hospitals and providers must bill the Victims’ Compensation Board directly, not you or your insurer. The Board pays the exam’s actual cost up to $750 per exam. Bills use only the kit’s tracking number and must not name you. The Board cover… - Long-term kit storage and tracking: benefit, low. If you have not reported the assault when the exam is finished, the hospital must tell the nearest police, who take and store the kit. Kits are labeled only with a tracking number, and you can get that number and the storage agency. Police must store sexual-assault kits for 20 years and strangulati… - Standard exam kits and training: benefit, low. The Department of Public Safety sets one standard kit and checklist for sexual assault exams and provides those kits to hospitals and providers. Hospitals and practitioners must use the standard kit and be trained in proper evidence collection. Courts may not throw out evidence just because a nonst… - Funding cap for examiner training: benefit, low. The Victims’ Compensation Fund pays for sexual assault forensic examiner training and education. Spending for this training is capped at $50,000 per year. - DA pays some exam and lab costs: mixed, medium. In cases reported to police that involve a minor or serious bodily injury, the district attorney pays for a physical exam done to collect evidence. For gross sexual assault, the Board pays for the forensic exam, and the district attorney pays for any drug or alcohol test analysis used for prosecuti… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Dylan Pugh (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Amy Kuhn (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Anne M. Carney (Democratic), Senate - Cosponsor: Dani O'Halloran (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Eleanor Sato (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Lori Gramlich (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Rafael Macias (Democratic), House - Cosponsor: Valli Geiger (Democratic), House ## Actions (7) - 2025-05-23: Signed by Governor, ACTPUB Chapter 109 - 2025-05-21: PASSED TO BE ENACTED, in concurrence. (Senate) - 2025-05-20: PASSED TO BE ENACTED. Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH. (House) - 2025-05-14: Report READ and ACCEPTED, in concurrence.READ ONCE.Committee Amendment "A" (H-142) READ and ADOPTED, in concurrence.Under suspension of the Rules, READ A SECOND TIME and PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED AS AMENDED BY Committee Amendment "A" (H-142), in concurrence.Ordered sent down forthwith. (Senate) - 2025-05-13: CONSENT CALENDAR - FIRST DAYUnder suspension of the rules CONSENT CALENDAR - SECOND DAY.The Bill was PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED as Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (H-142).Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH. (House) - 2025-04-15: The Bill was REFERRED to the Committee on JUDICIARY in concurrence (Senate) - 2025-04-15: Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed. The Bill was REFERRED to the Committee on JUDICIARY.Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH. (House) ## Bill text - Amendment C-A (H-142), adopted by House & Senate: [PDF](https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1092&item=2&snum=132) - Enacted: [PDF](https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1092&item=3&snum=132) - Introduced: [PDF](https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1092&item=1&snum=132) ## Related bills - LD 1522: An Act to Establish the Maine Eviction Prevention Program (failed) - LD 1665: An Act to Provide Property Tax Relief to Maine Families (failed) - LD 1872: An Act to Reinvest in the Pension Funds of the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (failed) - LD 2067: An Act to Include Community Mental Health Workers Under the 1998 Special Plan for Retirement (failed) - LD 1611: An Act to Decrease the Retirement Contributions Required for Teachers and State Employees (failed) - LD 1294: An Act to Expand the Dependent Exemption Tax Credit (failed) ## Sources - [Amendment C-A (H-142), adopted by House & Senate (PDF)](https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1092&item=2&snum=132) - [Enacted (PDF)](https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1092&item=3&snum=132) - [Introduced (PDF)](https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1092&item=1&snum=132) ## Related - [LD 1522: An Act to Establish the Maine Eviction Prevention Program](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1522-132) - [LD 1665: An Act to Provide Property Tax Relief to Maine Families](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1665-132) - [LD 1872: An Act to Reinvest in the Pension Funds of the Maine Public Employees Retiremen…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1872-132) - [LD 2067: An Act to Include Community Mental Health Workers Under the 1998 Special Plan f…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD2067-132) - [LD 1611: An Act to Decrease the Retirement Contributions Required for Teachers and State…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1611-132) - [LD 1294: An Act to Expand the Dependent Exemption Tax Credit](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1294-132) - [Maine bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/maine/bills) - [Maine state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/maine) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/ME-LD1651-132 (as of 2026-10-17).