An Act To Clarify the Definition of "Physical or Mental Disability" in the Maine Human Rights Act
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §4553, sub-§7-A, as amended by PL 1991, c. 99, §2, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
7-A. Physical or mental disability. "Physical or mental disability" means any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of a person's major life activities.
summary
This bill amends the definition of "physical or mental disability" in the Maine Human Rights Act to mean a condition that substantially limits one or more major life activities, making the definition consistent with federal law and returning the definition to the one used by the Maine Human Rights Commission before the Maine Supreme Judicial Court’s decision, Whitney v. Wal-Mart, 895 A.2d 309 (Me. 2006).