Judiciary committee reviews bill to add political affiliation to Maine Human Rights Act

The Joint Standing Committee on the Judiciary held a work session on LD 10, a bill sponsored by Sen. Libby that would add political affiliation as a protected class to the Maine Human Rights Act, legislative analyst Eli Murphy said.

The bill would add political affiliation to the list of protected characteristics in the Maine Human Rights Act and includes a non-substantive correction to a repealed cross-reference related to protection orders, Murphy said. Proponents and analysts discussed concerns about the bill’s definition and the scope of its protections compared with similar statutes in other states.

Eli Murphy, legislative analyst with the Office of Policy and Legal Analysis, told the committee, “LD 10 would add political affiliation as a protected class to the Maine Human Rights Act.” Murphy noted that the bill also contains a separate technical correction of a repealed cross-reference related to protection orders that is not part of the bill’s substantive…