LD 1801

LAW WITHOUT
  GOVERNOR'S  CHAPTER
  SIGNATURE
  415
  JUNE 22, 2025  PUBLIC LAW
  STATE OF MAINE
  _____
  IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
  TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
  _____
  S.P. 700 - L.D. 1801
    An Act to Make Technical Changes to the Laws Governing the Maine
  Commission on Public Defense Services
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
    Sec. 1. 4 MRSA §1802, sub-§3-A, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 638, §2, is amended
to read:
    3-A. Employed counsel. "Employed counsel" means an attorney employed by the
commission to provide legal services directly to persons who are eligible to receive indigent
legal services in civil proceedings.
    Sec. 2. 4 MRSA §1802, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 638, §3, is amended to
read:
    5. Public defender. "Public defender" means an attorney employed by the
commission to provide legal services directly to persons who are eligible to receive indigent
legal services in criminal and juvenile proceedings.
    Sec. 3. 4 MRSA §1804, sub-§3, ¶A, as amended by PL 2023, c. 638, §7, is further
amended to read:
    A. Develop and maintain a system that employs employed counsel and public
    defenders, uses appointed private attorneys and contracts with individual attorneys or
    groups of attorneys to provide high-quality, effective and efficient indigent legal
    services. The commission shall consider other programs necessary to provide high-
    quality, effective and efficient indigent legal services;
    Sec. 4. 4 MRSA §1806, sub-§2, ¶G is enacted to read:
    G. Materials, handouts, recordings and other documents produced, obtained or
    otherwise acquired by the commission in connection with providing or preparing to
    provide training and evaluation programs for attorneys who are or may seek to become
    assigned counsel, employed counsel, public defenders or contract counsel.
    Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the commission may disseminate
    materials governed by this paragraph to the extent necessary to comply with its duties
    under this chapter without waiving the confidentiality of the materials.
  Page 1 - 132LR2471(03)
   Sec. 5. 22 MRSA §4007, sub-§1-A, ¶E, as enacted by PL 2023, c. 638, §26, is
amended to read:
   E. The court shall, on request, disclose records that are confidential under this
   subsection required to be maintained as confidential under this chapter to the Maine
   Commission on Public Defense Services established by Title 5, section 12004‑G,
   subsection 25‑A for the purpose of assigning, evaluating or supervising counsel.
  Page 2 - 132LR2471(03)