CHAPTER 475

S.P. 317 - L.D. 976

An Act To Ensure Effective Prosecution of Certain Repeat

Offenders

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §1252, sub-§4-A, as amended by PL 2003, c. 1, §10, is further amended to read:

4-A. If the State pleads and proves that, at the time any crime, excluding murder, under chapter 9, 11, 13 or 27 or section 402-A, subsection 1, paragraph A was committed, the defendant had been convicted of 2 or more crimes violating chapter 9, 11, 13 or 27 or section 402-A, subsection 1, paragraph A or essentially similar crimes in other jurisdictions, the sentencing class for the crime is one class higher than it would otherwise be. In the case of a Class A crime, the sentencing class is not increased, but the prior record must be given serious consideration by the court when imposing a sentence. Section 9-A governs the use of prior convictions when determining a sentence, except that, for the purposes of this subsection, for violations under chapter 11, the dates of prior convictions may have occurred at any time.