An Act To Increase Penalties For Human Trafficking Offenses

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Steve Bishop and 8 co-sponsors

LD 1877 raises penalties for human trafficking offenses and boosts Victims’ Compensation Fund funding via higher post-conviction assessments, with minor revenue gains for the AG.

Signed by Governor

#crimes #humantrafficking #sexoffenses

Purpose / Intent

LD 1877 is intended to strengthen Maine’s criminal response to human trafficking by increasing the penalties associated with human trafficking offenses. The bill’s stated goal is to enhance deterrence, support victim restitution through increased assessments, and reinforce criminal sanctions for those convicted of trafficking-related crimes.

Key provisions (high-level)

Raises criminal penalties for one or more human trafficking offenses (the enacted bill text contains the specific statutory changes and penalty levels).

Increases certain assessments that are deposited into the Victims’ Compensation Fund tied to convictions for human trafficking offenses. Those increased assessments generate additional revenue for victim compensation.

Committee Amendment “A” (H‑723) was adopted and is the version that was passed and enacted. The fiscal notes provided correspond to the bill as amended.

Note: The project documents supplied (fiscal notes and legislative actions) do not include the detailed statutory language or the exact new penalty amounts/terms. For precise changes (e.g., sentencing ranges, fines, class of offenses modified), consult the final engrossed bill (LD 1877, as amended by H‑723) or the revised Maine statutes after enactment.

Who is affected

Defendants convicted of human trafficking and related sex‑trafficking offenses — they will face the increased statutory penalties provided in the enacted bill.

Victims of human trafficking — may benefit indirectly via modestly increased resources in the Victims’ Compensation Fund funded by higher post‑conviction assessments.

Office of the Attorney General — will receive minor additional Other Special Revenue Fund receipts from increased assessments deposited into the Victims’ Compensation Fund.

Courts, prosecutors, and corrections system — will implement and enforce the new penalties; any operational or caseload impacts are not estimated to be significant in the available fiscal materials.

Fiscal impact

Fiscal notes (revised 05/30/2025 and approved 06/16/2025) estimate a "minor" revenue increase to the Office of the Attorney General’s Other Special Revenue Funds due to higher assessments deposited into the Victims’ Compensation Fund.

No significant increase in general fund expenditures or major fiscal impacts were identified in the available fiscal notes.

Legislative timeline / procedural history

05/01/2025: Received by the Clerk of the House; referred to Judiciary.

05/21/2025: Work session and committee votes (divided report).

06/16/2025: Committee Amendment “A” (H‑723) read and adopted; bill passed to be engrossed as amended; concurrence votes accepted.

06/17/2025: Passed to be enacted (in concurrence).

06/20/2025: Signed by the Governor — bill enacted.

Notes / Next steps

To determine the exact statutory amendments (specific penalties, fines, or sentence ranges), review the enacted bill text (LD 1877, engrossed as amended by H‑723) or the updated Maine statutes.

The fiscal notes indicate only a minor revenue effect; readers should consult the final bill language for any implementation directives or effective dates that could affect when changes take effect.

Bill