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LD 857

An Act To Increase Government Transparency In The Procurement Of Goods And Services

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Rick Bennett and 9 co-sponsors

LD 857 boosts Maine procurement transparency by public disclosure of contracts, vendors, and bidding data, empowering citizens and watchdogs with oversight at minimal fiscal cost.

Became Law without Governor's Signature
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Bill Summary · LD 857

Summary — LD 857: An Act To Increase Government Transparency In The Procurement of Goods and Services

Status: Became law without the Governor’s signature (June 22, 2025)
Introduced: March 4, 2025
Committee: State and Local Government
Fiscal note approved: May 30 & June 9, 2025 (minor General Fund cost)

Purpose and intent

LD 857 is intended to strengthen public transparency and oversight of how the State of Maine procures goods and services. The law directs changes to procurement practices and reporting so that procurement decisions, contracts and related information are more accessible to the public and to oversight bodies.

What the bill does (high level)

  • The bill, as enacted with Committee Amendment A (H‑568), makes statutory changes to increase transparency in state procurement.
  • The legislative record and fiscal notes indicate requirements that will increase public visibility into procurement activity (for example: public disclosure and reporting of procurement actions, contract details, and vendor information). The enacted amendment (H‑568) contains the operative technical and policy changes; the legislative summary here is based on the available record and fiscal notes rather than the verbatim amendment text.

Note: The full enacted language (including the exact text of Committee Amendment A) should be consulted for precise legal requirements, timelines and definitions.

Who is affected

  • State executive agencies and departments that award contracts for goods and services (they will have additional transparency/reporting responsibilities).
  • The Department of Administrative and Financial Services (DAFS), which administers many procurement functions, is expected to incur minor additional administrative costs.
  • Vendors and contractors supplying goods and services to the State (their contracts, bids or other procurement-related data are likely to be subject to increased disclosure).
  • Citizens, journalists and oversight bodies who will have improved access to procurement information.

Fiscal and administrative impact

  • Fiscal notes (LR 1696(02) and LR 1696(03)) estimate a minor General Fund cost to DAFS. Those costs are expected to be small and can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. No other material fiscal impacts were identified in the fiscal notes on file.

Legislative and procedural timeline

  • Referred to the Committee on State and Local Government: March 4, 2025.
  • Committee work sessions and an OTP‑AM (Ought to Pass as Amended) recommendation: April–May 2025.
  • Passed both chambers as amended by Committee Amendment A (H‑568): June 9–10, 2025.
  • Became law without the Governor’s signature: June 22, 2025.

How to get the full text / next steps

To understand the precise compliance obligations, definitions, effective dates and any implementation timelines, consult the enacted bill text (including Committee Amendment A) in the official Maine legislative records or the Maine Legislature website.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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