Bill > LD404

This bill amends Maine state law to create new protections for lottery winners' identities by establishing that individuals who win prizes of $100,000 or more, and participants in the Address Confidentiality Program (a state program typically designed to protect victims of domestic violence by providing a substitute mailing address), will have their identities kept confidential by default. Under this legislation, lottery winners in these categories can only have their identities revealed if they provide written permission to the lottery bureau. The bureau may share the winner's identity with other state agencies for legally authorized purposes, but those agencies are strictly prohibited from further disclosing the information. Additionally, the bill explicitly states that such confidential information does not qualify as a public record under existing state transparency laws, which means it cannot be obtained through public records requests. This provision aims to protect lottery winners from potential harassment, unwanted media attention, or personal safety risks that might arise from public disclosure of their identity after a significant win.

Military Affairs and Security

https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?LD=404&snum=132