AUGUSTA - A majority of the Legislature's Taxation Committee voted Thursday to move forward LD 287, An Act to Support Parents by Providing a Sales Tax Exemption for Diapers. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Kelly Noonan Murphy, D-Scarborough.
The bill was amended to include diaper accessories such as covers and pins and clarifies that the exemption is limited to the purchase of children's diapers.
"This bill will provide some much needed relief for hard-working Mainers that are struggling to afford basic necessities for their children," said Murphy. "I was pleased to see the Taxation Committee's positive vote on this legislation, and I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues in the Legislature to make sure this legislation makes it across the finish line this session."
Twenty-two states currently do not tax diapers, and Maine is currently the only New England state to do so. If the bill becomes law, diapers would no longer be subject to the sales tax in 2024.
The bill will move to the full Legislature for consideration in the coming weeks.
Murphy, a member of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, is serving her first term in the Maine House and represents part of Scarborough.