maine public law search

Office of the Revisor of Statutes Room 108, State House Augusta, Maine 04333-0007 Phone: (207) 287-1650 Fax: (207) 287-6468 e-mail: webmaster.ros@legislature.maine.gov Session Laws - 117 th Legislature to present Session Law Published Volumes - 124 th Legislature, 2008 to present Maine eCourts: State of Maine Judicial Branch 1 M.R.S. The fees for such a request would be very high; the agency would likely find your request too vague and ask that you make it more specific. Maine lawmakers to seek OK from law court to pass foreign The First Regular Session of the 131 st Maine Legislature convened Wednesday, December 7, 2022, and adjourned sine die Thursday, March 30, 2023. "Public proceedings" are defined in part as "the transactions of any functions affecting any or all citizens of the State"1 M.R.S. As with any record, if the e-mail is "in the possession or custody of an agency or public official of this State or any of its political subdivisions, or is in the possession or custody of an association, the membership of which is composed exclusively of one or more of any of these entities, and has been received or prepared for use in connection with the transaction of public or governmental business or contains information relating to the transaction of public or governmental business" and is not deemed confidential or excepted from the FOAA, it constitutes a "public record". While some states only allow state residents to request records, Maine does not. Meetings to be open to public; record of meetings, 1 403-A. Yes. Published May 3, 2023 at 3:49 PM EDT Steve Mistler / Maine Public A sampling of political mailers sent to Maine voters on Question 1, which Maine voters passed in Nov. 2021. 452. Maine State Legislature For example, a registrant (the subject of the birth record) or their legal representative. However, Maine's public records and public meetings law, the Freedom of Access Act, 1 M.R.S.A. Online only. Maine Public Records Public Records - GovernmentRegistry 1 M.R.S. 1 State House Station The agency or official must prepare an estimate of the time and cost required to complete a request within a reasonable amount of time of receipt of the request. However, most governmental bodies and agencies ask individuals to submit requests in writing in order to maintain a record of when the request was received and what records were specifically requested. The FOAA authorizes agencies or officials to charge $15 per hour after the first hour of staff time per request. Please note that the Office of the Revisor of Statutes may not provide legal advice regarding the interpretation of the laws of Maine, nor do we provide legal research. The text reflects changes made through the Second Regular Session of the 130th Maine Legislature and is current through October 1, 2022. However, a request does not have to be that specific. Right To Know Advisory Committee, 1 412. 1-A. Augusta, Maine 04333-0007 Data for this page extracted on 9/28/2022 08:27:44. Pursuant to the Constitution of Maine, Article IV, Part Third, Section 16, the general effective date for nonemergency laws passed in the First Regular Session of the 131 st Legislature is Thursday, June 29, 2023. Included among these are records that have been designated confidential by statute, documents subject to a recognized legal privilege such as the attorney-client privilege or the work-product privilege, records describing security plans or procedures designed to prevent acts of terrorism, medical records, juvenile records, and the personal contact information of public employees contained within records. 101 or 12004-I) Note: Boolean keywords AND, OR, NOT must be in uppercase, and only one keyword can be used per query. Maine Hires Lawyers With Criminal Records to Defend Its Poorest The Revisor's Office cannot provide legal advice or interpretation of Maine law to the public. PUBLIC LAW. Yes, all votes must be taken by roll call in a manner that can be seen and heard if using video technology, and heard if using only audio technology, by all members of the body and the public. Current law can be retrieved via the Session Law page and the Statute pages. 405(2), (6), Upon learning of any such action, any person may appeal to anySuperior Courtin the State. Anyone-not just Maine can make a public records request in the state without stating their intended use of the record. Notice must be given in ample time to allow the public to attend remotely and given in a manner reasonably calculated to notify the public of the time, date, location and method to be used to conduct the meeting. For example, assume you want to obtain a list of active landfills near your home. The ombudsman is also responsible for providing educational materials about the . The body should give notice to the public in the same way it would give notice of any other public proceeding under 1 M.R.S. 405(1)-(5), Generally, no. The notice must also provide the physical location where members of the public may participate in person, if applicable. Unless otherwise provided by law, a record of each public proceeding for which notice is required must be made within a reasonable period of time. No. 1 M.R.S. The text is subject to change without notice. This service provides a free and convenient way to search for information about adult prisoners/probationers in the Maine Department of Corrections system. Law Type . 1 M.R.S. A public officer or agency is not required to explain or answer questions about public records. Maine Public Records Directory & Official Documents Directory Maine Criminal Records | StateRecords.org 408-A(4), If an agency does not provide a written denial or a statement that the request may be denied in full or in part following a review within 5 working days of the receipt of the request, this is considered a failure to allow inspection or copying and is subject to appeal. Maine Revised Statutes Search Form See theHow to Make a Request page on this site. That means that attorneys from other areas are routinely brought in, either driving hours to the courthouse or communicating through phone or Zoom. 1 M.R.S. What is eCourts? (e.g. This service provides a free and convenient way to search for information about adult prisoners/probationers in the Maine Department of Corrections system. Maine Legislature. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces Quebec and New Brunswick to the north. The FOAA defines public records as any printed, written, or graphic matter used or maintained by a public official or government agency in connection with the governmental business. There are no retention schedules specific to email messages. Next public hearing, from , to , Next work session, from , to , Public Hearing and Work Session . Listen 4:34 Please note that the Office of the Revisor of Statutes does not provide The text is subject After reviewing the training material, users can take the online assessment to obtain certification. The service provides the public information about the location of registered offenders currently within Maine. Report information about a cyber crime to the Maine Computer Crimes Task Force. The Maine Freedom of Access Act does exempt some records from public disclosure. 1 M.R.S. After completing the training, officials and public access officers are required to make a written or electronic record attesting that the training has been completed. Maine Constitution. 408-A(3), A request for records that are maintained by the agency but not by the office of the agency that received the request must be forwarded to the appropriate office or official within the agency without willful delay. 1 M.R.S. Using this service ensures the data you receive will be accurate and up-to-date, as it comes directly from the latest official data of the Maine State Bureau of Identification and the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles. "It broadens the pool of people who are allowed to hold a working waterfront covenant, to include land trusts that are looking out for their community," Battista said. On the other hand, a request for "all records identifying landfills within 20 miles of 147 Main Street in Augusta" is very specific and the request might fail to produce the information you desire because the agency has no record containing data organized in that exact fashion. Search the Statutes for any of the following: Text: Title: (e.g. TheFreedom of Access Act(FOAA) is a state statute that is intended to open the government of Maine by guaranteeing access to the "public records" and "public proceedings" of state and local government bodies and agencies. The Supreme Judicial Court has not often decided cases addressing public access to court records or court rooms. A new law signed by Gov. If the record you requested contains any confidential or excepted information, the custodian will decide if the confidential or excepted information can be adequately redacted or blacked out so that public access can be provided or if public access to the document should be denied. 408-A(11). 1 M.R.S. Welcome to the Maine Law section of FindLaw's State Law collection. An individual should determine the type of public meeting and consult sources of authority outside the FOAA for information about participation rights. Removal, secretion, mutilation or refusal to return state documents, 1 501-A. Maine Freedom of Access Act: Your Right to Know, Statutory Exceptions to the Freedom of Access Law, sample training completion form is available (PDF), Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer of State and State Auditor, Commissioners, treasurers, district attorneys, sheriffs, registers of deeds, registers of probate and budget committee members of any county, Municipal officers, clerks, treasurers, assessors and budget committee members of municipal governments, Officials of regional or other political subdivisions, including officials of water districts, sanitary districts, hospital districts, transit districts or regional transportation districts, Deputies for municipal clerks, treasurers, managers or administrators, assessors, and code enforcement officers, Officials of school administrative units includes superintendents, assistant superintendents and school board members, the general legal requirements regarding public records and public proceedings, the procedures and requirements regarding complying with a request for a public record, the penalties and other consequences for failure to comply with the law. The Legislature created a public access ombudsman position to review complaints about compliance with the FOAA and attempt to mediate their resolution, as well as answer calls from the public, media, public agencies and officials about the requirements of the law. For certain kinds of cases, it's far less. A per page fee may not be charged for records provided electronically. The search results will include the name, town, county, telephone numbers, and commission expiration date for each notary public or dedimus justice meeting your search criteria. 1 M.R.S. 408-A(5). 11 or 24-A) An agency or official must acknowledge receipt of a request within 5 working days of receipt of the request. A public agency or official is required to make available for inspection and copying, subject to any applicable exemptions, only those public records that exist on the date of the request. Search Maine supreme court opinions and orders by keyword. HP455 or IB1; for an LD, just the number. Revisor Of Statutes | Maine State Legislature Please send any questions or comments to webmaster.ros@legislature.maine.gov, Maine The laws require that almost every document created by a government agency is public. 408-A(8)(A), Agencies and officials may also charge fees for the time spent searching for, retrieving, compiling or redacting confidential information from the requested records. Instead, legal services for the poor are left to private attorneys, who face disproportionately high amounts of. The Legislature created a public access ombudsman position to review complaints about compliance with the FOAA and attempt to mediate their resolution, as well as answer calls from the public, media, public agencies and officials about the requirements of the law. Asample training completion form is available (PDF)(This file requires the freeAdobe Reader). Maine criminal records, also called rap sheets, are documents that contain information regarding a person's interaction with the criminal justice system in Maine. Search the Statutes for any of the following: Augusta, ME 04333 Municipal charters The body may then allow members to participate by remote means if the body complies with the other requirements of the law, including allowing for remote attendance by members of the public. 402The underlying purpose of the FOAA is that public proceedings be conducted openly and that deliberations and actions be taken openly; clandestine meetings should not be used to defeat the purpose of the law. 1 M.R.S. Final steps in completing the search of the Private and Special Laws include searching the indexes of any of the volumes of the Laws of Maine published after 2022 or by searching Bill Tracking & Text Search for the 131st session forward. Download text is available in PDF format, which An existing employee is designated public access officer and is responsible for ensuring that public record requests are acknowledged within five working days of receiving the request and that a good faith estimate of when the response to the request will be complete is provided. 402 (2), The FOAA requires all public proceedings to be open to the public and any person must be permitted to attend.
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