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LD 217

An Act To Require Schools To Provide Access To Free Condoms For Students In Grades 9 To 12 In The School Nurse'S Office

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Michelle Boyer and 9 co-sponsors

Requires Maine high schools to provide free condoms to students in grades 9-12 via the school nurse, creating local funding duties (potential 90% state funding); bill is dead.

Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)
#birthcontrol #nurses #schoolpersonnel
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Bill Summary · LD 217

Summary: LD 217 — An Act To Require Schools To Provide Access To Free Condoms For Students In Grades 9 To 12 In The School Nurse's Office

Overview

LD 217 would require Maine schools to provide free access to condoms for students in grades 9 through 12, with access available through the school nurse’s office. The bill was introduced January 16, 2025 and is currently listed as Dead, having been placed in legislative files under Joint Rule 310.3 after a series of committee actions in 2025.

Purpose and intent

  • Establish a policy ensuring all students in grades 9–12 have free access to condoms within the school setting.
  • The intended goal, as reflected by the bill’s title and provisions, is to increase access to contraception for high school students, which proponents argue could influence teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection outcomes.

Key provisions

  • Schools must provide free access to condoms for all students enrolled in grades 9–12.
  • Access is to be provided in the school nurse’s office.
  • The bill would create a state-mandated requirement on local school administrative units (school districts) to implement this access.

Fiscal impact and funding notes

  • The fiscal note identifies the measure as a potential unfunded state mandate, with local costs described as moderate on a statewide basis.
  • Cost drivers depend on:
    • The number of condoms dispensed.
    • The price per condom.
  • Illustrative example (based on 50% of sexually active students in grades 9–12, assuming 2 condoms per student per month for 9 months at $0.12 each):
    • Annual local cost: approximately $18,300.
    • State cost to fund 90% of the mandate: approximately $16,470 per year.
  • The note emphasizes that actual costs will vary with usage patterns and condom pricing.

Affected parties and potential impacts

  • Students in grades 9–12 would gain free access to condoms.
  • Local school administrative units (districts) would be responsible for implementing the program and absorbing the local costs (potentially offset by state funding under a mandate framework).
  • School nurses would be the primary point of access for students.
  • The measure could influence budgeting considerations at the district level and might trigger constitutional mandate provisions requiring either full or partial state funding.

Procedural timeline and status

  • 2025-01-16: Referred to the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee.
  • 2025-03-21: Carried over to the next session under Joint Order SP 519.
  • 2025-04-28 to 2025-04-29: Work session held; reported ONTP (Ought Not To Pass).
  • 2025-05-06: Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD) under Joint Rule 310.3.

Bottom line

LD 217 proposes a straightforward access requirement for free condoms in Maine high schools, to be dispensed via school nurses. The measure would impose a local funding obligation on districts (potentially funded 90% by the state if enacted as a mandate) but ultimately did not advance and is currently considered dead in the legislative process.

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

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