A Lewiston man who had been living in his car at the David Rancourt Preserve in Lewiston in August 2023. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Maine’s requirement that car owners register their vehicles with a municipality is creating a problem for those who are forced to live in their cars and don’t have a permanent address.

Rep. Dan Sayre, D-Kennebunk, is sponsoring a bill this session that would allow anyone without a fixed address to register their vehicle directly with the Maine Department of the Secretary of State and pay excise taxes there, rather than at a city or town office.

He said he decided to put forth the bill, LD 611, after the secretary of state’s office told him that several people living in their cars had attempted to register their vehicles in the municipalities where they lived but were turned away.

It’s illegal to drive an unregistered car, and they can be ticketed and towed, putting anyone relying on their vehicle for shelter at risk.

“Someone who loses the right to legally operate their car, their ability to make a living is threatened, and potentially they could lose the only safe shelter they have,” Sayre said in a phone interview Tuesday.

He said that simply allowing payments to the secretary of state was a simpler way around the issue than trying to force municipalities to accept excise taxes from people without a permanent address.

Maine, like much of the country, has faced a housing crisis in recent years. Reports have estimated that the state needs to build about 84,000 homes by 2030 to keep up with demand. Meanwhile, many people have struggled to keep up with the rising cost of living and have been unable to secure housing.

“The goal of the bill is really to keep people who are suffering from suffering further,” said Sayre.

COMMITTEE DEBATE

Sayre received wide support for the bill during a public hearing last week in front of the Transportation Committee. Cathie Curtis, deputy secretary of state for the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles, spoke in support of the bill. She said her office has seen an increasing number of people being turned away from their municipality over the issue.

“I urge you to pass this bill and to help Maine residents comply with the law and register their vehicles,” she said to the committee.

But some lawmakers questioned if this would open up unintended loopholes for out-of-state residents and cause problems for law enforcement.

Rep. Wayne Parry, R-Arundel, said during the meeting that he was concerned that the bill could make it possible for nefarious people from out of state to come into Maine and register their cars.

“I worry in our zeal to help these few people, that we’re putting in statute that anybody could come up here and do this,” said Parry.

Curtis, however, said that people living out of state can already register their cars in Maine. Even if someone gives an out of state address, the car can still be registered and excise taxes can still be collected in Maine, she said. There is no process to verify the address given.

Rep. Steven Bishop, R-Bucksport, is concerned that the bill would make it difficult for police to track down someone who had committed a crime in their vehicle because no address would come up when officers run a license plate.

Sayre believes the concerns could be addressed during an upcoming work session.

“The opposition was just a hypothetical,” he said. “It’s absolutely not meant to create a back door for nefarious types.”

WIDESPREAD SUPPORT

Several people submitted written testimony in support of the bill, including the Rev. Brooklin Jones-Banahan, a licensed clinical social worker from Behavioral Health Center in Bangor.

She urged the committee to support the proposal, writing that for homeless people, cars can be a “lifeline.”

“Preventing them from paying taxes and keeping their vehicles registered due to the lack of a permanent address further isolates them and reduces their ability to function legally within society,” she wrote.

Rebecca Graham, senior legislative advocate with the Maine Municipal Association, said that having a car provides access to vital services and support or homeless people.

“We don’t want to see people living in their cars but this is a reality that we know is happening. This is their asset and people are trying to take care of their asset,” said Graham.

She also pointed out that in much of the state, people must drive to access homeless services, General Assistance, medical care and other support.

“There’s not necessarily a homeless shelter in Meddybemps ( in Washington County), but that doesn’t mean there’s not homelessness. That’s their home and they want to be near the services that can help them to hopefully transition out of homelessness,” she said.

The bill will come back before the Transportation Committee in the next few weeks for a work session and could go to a vote on the House floor.