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LD 117

An Act To Provide Funding For Sexual Assault Services

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

Allocates unused one-time funds from PL 2025 to support community-based sexual assault and domestic violence services via statewide coalitions and local providers.

Signed by Governor
#funding #sexualassaultservices #socialservices
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Bill Summary · LD 117

Summary — LD 117: An Act To Provide Funding for Sexual Assault Services

Status: Signed by the Governor (July 1, 2025)
Introduced: January 8, 2025
Committee: Health and Human Services
Primary subjects: Funding; Sexual assault services; Social services

Purpose

LD 117 directs funding to support community-based sexual assault services across Maine by allocating available state resources to statewide coalitions that support local sexual assault and domestic violence service providers. The bill’s intent is to strengthen service capacity for survivors through targeted distribution of state-held one-time funds.

Key provisions

  • Requires that any unused balances of one-time funding (previously appropriated to DHHS, Purchased Social Services program under Public Law 2025, chapter 388, Part A) for:
    • $3,000,000 in fiscal year 2025–26, and
    • $3,000,000 in fiscal year 2026–27 be divided equally and distributed to:
    • a statewide coalition of domestic violence resource centers, and
    • a statewide coalition of sexual assault support centers.
  • Funds distributed are to support community-based services (i.e., local centers and programs providing direct services to survivors).

Fiscal impact

  • Early fiscal notes for the original bill estimated new General Fund appropriations of:
    • $1,230,000 in FY 2025–26 and
    • $1,830,000 in FY 2026–27 (and ongoing).
  • A later Senate amendment eliminated those new GF appropriations.
  • The final engrossed version (with Committee Amendment C "A" (S-30) and Senate Amendment S-446) repurposes unused existing one-time appropriations from PL 2025, ch. 388, Part A rather than creating a net new General Fund cost. The fiscal note for the final engrossed bill reports no net fiscal impact to the General Fund.

Who is affected

  • Department of Health and Human Services (administration of distributions).
  • Statewide coalitions representing domestic violence resource centers and sexual assault support centers (recipients).
  • Local/community-based sexual assault and domestic violence service providers and their clients (indirect beneficiaries — increased/reserved funding for services).

Legislative history / timeline highlights

  • Introduced Jan 8, 2025; referred to Health and Human Services.
  • Reported Out OTP-AM, Committee Amendment "A" (S‑30) adopted (April 29, 2025).
  • Senate Amendment S‑446 adopted June 25, 2025 (sponsor: Sen. Rotundo).
  • House receded and concurred; bill passed to be enacted June 25, 2025.
  • Signed by Governor July 1, 2025.

Notes: The bill does not create a new ongoing General Fund obligation in its final form; it reallocates unused one-time appropriations already provided under PL 2025, ch. 388, Part A to support community-based sexual assault and domestic violence services.

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

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