Whereas, the 121st Legislature directed the Attorney General to study the nature and types of discrimination against people who are homeless in Maine; and

Whereas, the study indicated that people who are homeless are frequently the victims of crimes, that they are unlikely to report those crimes and that they believe that their reports will not be taken seriously by law enforcement agencies; and

Whereas, when cases involving victims and witnesses who are homeless are reported to law enforcement agencies, those cases pose unique challenges; and

Whereas, the nonreporting of crimes is a key barrier to protecting people who are homeless and punishing people who commit crimes against them; and

Whereas, this legislation proposes several steps that will help law enforcement agencies and advocates and service agencies that work with people who are homeless to reduce the barriers to reporting crimes against people who are homeless; and

Whereas, the Legislature strongly supports the goals of protecting people who are homeless and punishing those who commit crimes against them; and

Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,

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

Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §1151, sub-§8, ¶B, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 149, §1, is amended to read:

B. The selection by the defendant of the person against whom the crime was committed or of the property that was damaged or otherwise affected by the crime because of the race, color, religion, sex, ancestry, national origin, physical or mental disability or, sexual orientation or homelessness of that person or of the owner or occupant of that property.

Sec. 2. 25 MRSA §2804-C, sub-§2-B is enacted to read: