An Act To Prevent Domestic And Sexual Abuse Of Children And Increase Access To Protection From Abuse Orders By Allowing Children To File Protection From Abuse Orders On Their Own Behalf

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Donna Bailey and 3 co-sponsors

Authorizes minors who are victims of domestic or sexual abuse to file Protection from Abuse (PFA) orders themselves, expanding civil protection access without an adult filing.

Signed by Governor

#abuse #children #protectionfromabuse

Summary — LD 950 (132nd Maine Legislature)

Title: An Act To Prevent Domestic And Sexual Abuse Of Children And Increase Access To Protection From Abuse Orders By Allowing Children To File Protection From Abuse Orders On Their Own Behalf

Status: Signed by Governor (May 30, 2025)
Introduced: March 6, 2025
Sponsor: Sen. Bailey (York)
Committee: Judiciary
Final legislative action: Passed to be enacted (May 28, 2025); signed by Governor (May 30, 2025)
Key amendment: Committee Amendment “A” (S-131) adopted

Purpose and intent

LD 950 is intended to reduce barriers for child victims of domestic or sexual abuse to obtain court-ordered protection. The central policy change is to authorize children to file Protection from Abuse (PFA) orders on their own behalf, increasing their ability to seek immediate civil protection without requiring an adult to initiate the proceeding.

Key provisions (summary)

Authorizes children (minor victims of domestic or sexual abuse) to file Protection from Abuse orders on their own behalf.

Implements statutory changes to the PFA process to accommodate filings initiated by minors (processing, notice, and case handling procedures are adjusted as necessary).

Incorporates Committee Amendment “A” (S-131); the amendment was adopted by the Legislature prior to enactment.

Maintains the civil nature of PFA proceedings; this measure does not create new criminal offenses but affects access to civil protective relief.

(Note: The enacted bill text sets the authorization; the publicly available summary and fiscal notes do not include the precise age thresholds or procedural language. For exact statutory wording, consult the enacted bill language.)

Who is affected

Children who are victims of domestic or sexual abuse — gain the explicit ability to seek PFA relief independently.

Alleged abusers — may face PFA petitions initiated directly by minors.

Judicial Branch — may experience an increase in civil PFA filings and related case processing.

Child welfare agencies, law enforcement, and attorneys — may see procedural changes and increased engagement associated with minor-initiated PFAs.

Fiscal and administrative impact

Fiscal notes (preliminary and as engrossed) report a "minor cost increase" to the General Fund.

The Judicial Branch is expected to absorb any additional workload within existing budgeted resources; no additional funding requested.

The bill may cause a small increase in civil filings, but impacts are judged minimal.

Legislative timeline (selected)

Mar 6, 2025 — Referred to Judiciary.

Mar 21–May 22, 2025 — Work session, carried over, reported Out OTP-AM; Committee Amendment “A” adopted.

May 27–28, 2025 — Passed to be engrossed as amended; passed to be enacted and sent for concurrence.

May 30, 2025 — Signed by Governor.

For implementation details (effective date and exact statutory text), consult the enacted bill language and updates from the Maine Legislature or Judicial Branch guidance.