republic-os/legislation/us/states/me/130/ld-1686.md

---
type: "Bill"
title: "An Act To Implement A Geographically Limited Public Defender Office"
description: "An Act To Implement A Geographically Limited Public Defender Office"
jurisdiction: "us/states/me"
legislature: "Maine Legislature"
session: "130"
identifier: "LD 1686"
citation: "Maine LD 1686 (130)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["INDIGENT", "LEGAL SERVICES", "PUBLIC DEFENDER OFFICE"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Thom HARNETT"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 38
vote_count: 0
first_action: "2021-05-19"
last_action: "2022-05-03"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7847928e-2419-42f0-ab5d-a281f22abd27"
source_url: "https://legislature.maine.gov/LawMakerWeb/dockets.asp?ID=280080775"
source_hash: "f229dc0cd65f1d9ecf17739650d1cecc68c43b8beabe6c12923c25f14d0555d1"
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 1686 (130) — An Act To Implement A Geographically Limited Public Defender Office

## 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=HP1255&item=2&snum=130)
2. **Chaptered Law** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1255&item=6&snum=130)
3. **Documents and Disposition** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1255&item=1&snum=130)
4. **Final Disposition** (committee substitute) — [source](http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP1255&item=5&snum=130)

## Sponsors

- Thom HARNETT — primary (person)

## Timeline

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

- **2021-05-19** Report READ and ACCEPTED, in concurrence.
- **2021-05-19** On motion by Senator Carney of Cumberland REFERRED to the Committee on Judiciary and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218, in concurrence. `referral-committee`
- **2021-05-19** Representative HARNETT for the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 4, section 1804, subsection 3, paragraph H reports that the Bill be REFERRED to the Committee on JUDICIARY and printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218. `referral-committee`
- **2021-05-19** Report was READ and ACCEPTED.
- **2021-05-19** The Bill was REFERRED to the Committee on JUDICIARY `referral-committee`
- **2021-05-19** Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
- **2021-06-17** Reports READ.
- **2021-06-17** On motion of Representative HARNETT of Gardiner, the Majority Ought to Pass as Amended Report was ACCEPTED.
- **2021-06-17** The Bill was READ ONCE. `reading-1`
- **2021-06-17** Committee Amendment "A" (H-700) was READ and ADOPTED. `committee-passage-favorable, passage`
- **2021-06-17** Under suspension of the rules, the Bill was given its SECOND READING without REFERENCE to the Committee on Bills in the Second Reading.
- **2021-06-17** The Bill was PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED as Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (H-700). `reading-3`
- **2021-06-17** Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
- **2021-06-17** Reports READ
- **2021-06-17** On motion by Senator CARNEY of Cumberland The Majority Ought to Pass As Amended Report ACCEPTED
- **2021-06-17** READ ONCE `reading-1`
- **2021-06-17** Committee Amendment "A" (H-700) READ and ADOPTED `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2021-06-17** Under suspension of the Rules, READ A SECOND TIME and PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED AS AMENDED by Committee Amendment "A" (H-700) in concurrence `reading-2, reading-3`
- **2021-06-17** PASSED TO BE ENACTED. `passage`
- **2021-06-17** Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
- **2021-06-17** On motion by Senator BREEN of Cumberland PLACED ON THE SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS TABLE pending PASSAGE TO BE ENACTED, in concurrence.
- **2021-07-19** CARRIED OVER, in the same posture, to any special or regular session of the 130th Legislature, pursuant to Joint Order HP 1302
- **2022-04-25** On Motion by Senator BREEN of Cumberland taken from the SPECIAL APPROPRIATIONS TABLE.
- **2022-04-25** On motion by Same Senator Under suspension of the Rules The Senate RECONSIDERED whereby the Bill was PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED AS AMENDED BY Committee Amendment "A" (H-700) `reading-3`
- **2022-04-25** On further motion by Same Senator Under further suspension of the Rules The Senate RECONSIDERED whereby Committee Amendment "A" (H-700) was ADOPTED `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2022-04-25** On further motion by Same Senator Senate Amendment "A" (S-624) to Committee Amendment "A" (H-700) READ and ADOPTED `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2022-04-25** Committee Amendment "A" (H-700) as Amended by Senate Amendment "A" (S-624) thereto ADOPTED `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2022-04-25** PASSED TO BE ENGROSSED as Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (H-700) as Amended by Senate Amendment "A" (S-624) thereto In NON-CONCURRENCE `reading-3`
- **2022-04-25** Sent down for concurrence
- **2022-04-25** The House RECEDED and CONCURRED to PASSAGE TO BE ENGROSSED as Amended by Committee Amendment "A" (H-700) as Amended by Senate Amendment "A" (S-624) thereto. `reading-3`
- **2022-04-25** ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
- **2022-04-25** PASSED TO BE ENACTED. `passage`
- **2022-04-25** Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.
- **2022-04-25** PASSED TO BE ENACTED, in concurrence. `passage`
- **2022-05-03** Signed by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2021-05-26T04:00:00+00:00** Work Session Held
- **2021-05-26T04:00:00+00:00** Voted - Divided Report
- **2021-06-16T04:00:00+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/7847928e-2419-42f0-ab5d-a281f22abd27`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Maine legislature records).