An Act To Expand The State'S Workforce By Supporting The Transition From Incarceration To Employment

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Dan Ankeles and 9 co-sponsors

Requires the Department of Corrections to establish a reentry services program for people leaving incarceration to help them obtain work, including MaineCare access.

Signed by Governor

#employment #prisoners #transitioning

Summary — LD 1844 (132nd Maine Legislature)

Title: An Act To Expand The State's Workforce By Supporting The Transition From Incarceration To Employment
Sponsor: Rep. Sayre of Kennebunk
Committee: Criminal Justice and Public Safety
Introduced: April 30, 2025 — Signed by Governor: July 1, 2025
Classification / Subjects: bill — Employment; Prisoners; Transitioning

Purpose and intent

LD 1844 directs the State to strengthen support for people leaving incarceration so they can successfully enter the workforce. The primary goal is to reduce barriers to employment for residents of Maine correctional facilities by creating a structured reentry services program, thereby expanding the state’s labor supply and improving reentry outcomes.

Key provisions

Requires the Department of Corrections (DOC) to establish and maintain a reentry services program for residents of correctional facilities.

The reentry program must make available a range of services to people preparing to exit custody; the bill text explicitly includes assistance with accessing available MaineCare benefits (including potential use of the MaineCare Re‑entry Waiver Program).

Committee Amendment C "A" (H-499) was adopted during legislative consideration (the engrossed version reflects that amendment).

(Note: The available documents summarize the requirement to provide a range of services but do not specify a comprehensive list of services beyond MaineCare access.)

Who is affected

Primary beneficiaries: residents of Maine correctional facilities who are preparing for release or recently released.

State agencies: Department of Corrections (responsible for establishing the program) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) / MaineCare (potential increased utilization, especially through the Re‑entry Waiver Program).

State finances: General Fund — potential increased costs to DHHS; DOC implementation costs are expected to be minor.

Fiscal impact

Fiscal notes (approved 5/27/25 and 6/6/25) indicate a potential General Fund cost increase in the current biennium due to increased MaineCare usage stemming from facilitated access for people exiting incarceration.

A precise dollar estimate is not available because the extent to which the requirement will increase MaineCare utilization is unknown.

Any additional DOC costs are expected to be minor and absorbable within existing budgets.

Legislative timeline / procedural status

Referred to Criminal Justice and Public Safety: 4/30/2025.

Committee work, amendment adoption, and floor actions in May–June 2025.

Passed both chambers and placed briefly on the Special Appropriations Table; final enactment votes occurred in June 2025.

Signed by the Governor on July 1, 2025. (The bill text available does not state a specific statutory effective date.)

This summary is based on the bill text and associated fiscal notes available through the legislative record.