---
type: "Bill"
title: "An Act Regarding The Qualification Of Expert Witnesses In Certain Family Court Actions"
description: "An Act Regarding The Qualification Of Expert Witnesses In Certain Family Court Actions"
jurisdiction: "us/states/me"
legislature: "Maine Legislature"
session: "131"
identifier: "LD 538"
citation: "Maine LD 538 (131)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["ABUSE AND NEGLECT", "CHILDREN AND FAMILIES", "EXPERT WITNESSES"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Victoria DOUDERA"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 30
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2023-02-09"
last_action: "2023-05-15"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/ac62c3e4-7d23-4022-aebc-0c0d51dcf997"
source_url: "https://legislature.maine.gov/LawMakerWeb/dockets.asp?ID=280086042"
source_hash: "5cc6ce36e583032394d8e51d76055e85e903f3ed6c3f89cec393be15acba8693"
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 538 (131) — An Act Regarding The Qualification Of Expert Witnesses In Certain Family Court Actions

## 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=HP0343&item=2&snum=131)
2. **Documents and Disposition** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP0343&item=1&snum=131)
3. **Final Disposition** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP0343&item=3&snum=131)

## Sponsors

- Victoria DOUDERA — primary (person)
- Anne CARNEY — cosponsor (person)
- Jennifer POIRIER — cosponsor (person)
- Lois RECKITT — cosponsor (person)
- Matthew MOONEN — cosponsor (person)
- Rachel HENDERSON — cosponsor (person)
- Stephen MORIARTY — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2023-02-09** Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed.
- **2023-02-09** The Bill was REFERRED to the Committee on JUDICIARY. `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-09** Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
- **2023-02-09** The Bill was REFERRED to the Committee on JUDICIARY in concurrence `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-30** Carried over, in the same posture, to any special or regular session of the 131st Legislature, pursuant to Joint Order SP 594.
- **2023-05-02** Reports READ.
- **2023-05-02** On motion of Representative MOONEN of Portland, the Majority Ought to Pass as Amended Report was ACCEPTED.
- **2023-05-02** The Bill was READ ONCE. `reading-1`
- **2023-05-02** Committee Amendment "A" (H-86) was READ and ADOPTED. `committee-passage-favorable, passage`
- **2023-05-02** Under suspension of the rules, the Bill was given its SECOND READING without REFERENCE to the Committee on Bills in the Second Reading.
- **2023-05-02** The Bill was PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED as Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (H-86). `reading-3`
- **2023-05-02** Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
- **2023-05-03** Reports Read
- **2023-05-03** On motion by Senator CARNEY of Cumberland the Majority Ought to Pass as Amended Report ACCEPTED. in concurrence
- **2023-05-03** READ ONCE `reading-1`
- **2023-05-03** Committee Amendment "A" (H-86) READ and ADOPTED `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2023-05-03** ASSIGNED FOR SECOND READING NEXT LEGISLATIVE DAY.
- **2023-05-04** COMMITTEE ON BILLS IN THE SECOND READING REPORTS NO FURTHER VERBAL AMENDMENTS NECESSARY. REPORT ACCEPTED.
- **2023-05-04** READ A SECOND TIME and PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED AS AMENDED BY Committee Amendment "A" (H-86), in concurrence. `reading-2, reading-3`
- **2023-05-04** Ordered sent down forthwith.
- **2023-05-09** PASSED TO BE ENACTED. `passage`
- **2023-05-09** Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
- **2023-05-11** PASSED TO BE ENACTED, in concurrence. `passage`
- **2023-05-15** Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2023-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** Work Session Held - TABLED
- **2023-03-29T04:00:00+00:00** Work Session Held
- **2023-03-29T04:00:00+00:00** Voted - OTP-AM
- **2023-04-05T04:00:00+00:00** Work Session Held
- **2023-04-05T04:00:00+00:00** Voted - Divided Report
- **2023-04-28T04:00:00+00:00** Reported Out - OTP-AM/ONTP

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/ac62c3e4-7d23-4022-aebc-0c0d51dcf997`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maine legislature records).