---
type: "Bill"
title: "An Act To Include Homelessness In The Laws Governing Emergency General Assistance"
description: "An Act To Include Homelessness In The Laws Governing Emergency General Assistance"
jurisdiction: "us/states/me"
legislature: "Maine Legislature"
session: "129"
identifier: "LD 459"
citation: "Maine LD 459 (129)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["GENERAL ASSISTANCE", "ADMINISTRATION", "HOMELESSNESS AS EMERGENCY"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Benjamin CHIPMAN"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 37
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2019-01-29"
last_action: "2019-07-02"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/bf8036dc-ec1f-46a1-9cdd-d7f941369153"
source_url: "http://legislature.maine.gov/LawMakerWeb/dockets.asp?ID=280071262"
source_hash: "00619169144add4f4107306c4d7258fe4d459ade51d9dd649cc2730a7ca49dc5"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-me"]
---

# Maine LD 459 (129) — An Act To Include Homelessness In The Laws Governing Emergency General Assistance

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Adopted Amendments** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=SP0137&item=2&snum=129)
2. **Chaptered Law** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=SP0137&item=5&snum=129)
3. **Documents and Disposition** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=SP0137&item=1&snum=129)
4. **Final Disposition** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=SP0137&item=4&snum=129)

## Votes

- ENACTMENT — **21–14** (pass) · upper
- ACCEPT MAJ OTP-A RPT — **19–13** (pass) · upper
- ADOPT CAS-215 AMEND BY SAS-363 — **21–13** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Benjamin CHIPMAN — primary (person)
- Anne PERRY — cosponsor (person)
- Colleen MADIGAN — cosponsor (person)
- Geoffrey GRATWICK — cosponsor (person)
- Margaret CRAVEN — cosponsor (person)
- Marianne MOORE — cosponsor (person)
- Michele MEYER — cosponsor (person)
- Patricia HYMANSON — cosponsor (person)
- Rachel TALBOT ROSS — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-01-29** Committee on HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES suggested and ordered printed REFERENCE to the Committee on HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Ordered sent down forthwith for concurrence
- **2019-01-29** The Bill was REFERRED to the Committee on HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. `referral-committee`
- **2019-01-29** In concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
- **2019-06-06** Reports Read
- **2019-06-06** On motion by Senator GRATWICK of Penobscot the Majority Ought to Pass as Amended Report ACCEPTED.
- **2019-06-06** Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 215 Yeas 19 - Nays 13 - Excused 3 - Absent 0
- **2019-06-06** READ ONCE `reading-1`
- **2019-06-06** Committee Amendment "A" (S-215) READ and ADOPTED
- **2019-06-06** Under suspension of the Rules, READ A SECOND TIME and PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED AS AMENDED by Committee Amendment "A" (S-215) `reading-2`
- **2019-06-06** Sent down for concurrence
- **2019-06-07** Reports READ.
- **2019-06-07** On motion of Representative HYMANSON of York, the Majority Ought to Pass as Amended Report was ACCEPTED.
- **2019-06-07** The Bill was READ ONCE. `reading-1`
- **2019-06-07** Committee Amendment "A" (S-215) was READ and ADOPTED. `passage`
- **2019-06-07** Under suspension of the rules, the Bill was given its SECOND READING without REFERENCE to the Committee on Bills in the Second Reading.
- **2019-06-07** The Bill was PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED as Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (S-215).
- **2019-06-07** In concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
- **2019-06-10** PASSED TO BE ENACTED. `passage`
- **2019-06-10** Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
- **2019-06-10** On motion by Senator BREEN of Cumberland PLACED ON THE SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS TABLE pending PASSAGE TO BE ENACTED, in concurrence.
- **2019-06-19** PASSED TO BE ENACTED, in concurrence. `passage`
- **2019-06-19** Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 360 Yeas 21 - Nays 14 - Excused 0 - Absent 0
- **2019-06-19** On Motion by Senator BREEN of Cumberland taken from the SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS TABLE.
- **2019-06-19** Under suspension of the Rules On motion by Same Senator The Senate RECONSIDERED whereby the Bill was PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED AS AMENDED BY Committee Amendment "A" (S-215)
- **2019-06-19** Under further suspension of the Rules On further motion by Same Senator The Senate RECONSIDERED whereby Committee Amendment "A" (S-215) was ADOPTED
- **2019-06-19** On further motion by Same Senator Senate Amendment "A" (S-363) to Committee Amendment "A" (S-215) READ and ADOPTED
- **2019-06-19** Committee Amendment "A" (S-215) as Amended by Senate Amendment "A" (S-363) thereto ADOPTED
- **2019-06-19** Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 215 Yeas 19 - Nays 13 - Excused 3 - Absent 0
- **2019-06-19** PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED AS AMENDED BY Committee Amendment "A" (S-215) AS AMENDED BY Senate Amendment "A" (S-363) thereto In NON-CONCURRENCE
- **2019-06-19** Sent down for concurrence
- **2019-06-20** The House RECEDED and CONCURRED to PASSAGE TO BE ENGROSSED as Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (S-215) as Amended by Senate Amendment "A" (S-363) thereto.
- **2019-06-20** ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
- **2019-06-20** PASSED TO BE ENACTED. `passage`
- **2019-06-20** Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
- **2019-06-20** PASSED TO BE ENACTED in concurrence `passage`
- **2019-06-20** Roll Call Ordered Roll Call Number 360 Yeas 21 - Nays 14 - Excused 0 - Absent 0
- **2019-07-02** Signed by Governor `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/bf8036dc-ec1f-46a1-9cdd-d7f941369153`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maine legislature records).