An Act To Provide Another Alternative to the Civil Order of Arrest Process
Sec. 1. 14 MRSA §3134, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1987, c. 708, §9, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
Beginning February 15, 2016, instead of requesting a civil order of arrest, the creditor may proceed by way of a motion for contempt for failure to appear. This motion must be served upon the debtor with a contempt subpoena in the manner set forth in section 3136. If the debtor, after being duly served with a contempt subpoena, fails to appear at the time and place named in the contempt subpoena, the court may find the debtor in civil contempt and shall issue a civil order of arrest under section 3136, subsection 4 or, at the creditor's request, shall issue an order for the debtor to appear in court at a certain date and time for further proceedings. The order must be served upon the debtor in hand by the sheriff, who shall obtain from the debtor the debtor's personal recognizance bond to appear in court at the specified date and time.
Sec. 2. 14 MRSA §3135, 4th and 6th ¶¶, as enacted by PL 2011, c. 177, §1, are amended to read:
If the debtor fails to appear at the time and place specified in a disclosure subpoena or contempt subpoena issued pursuant to section 3134, subsection 2 or in a personal recognizance bond obtained by the sheriff, clerk or court, and upon request of the judgment creditor, the court shall order the Department of Labor to provide the judgment creditor with the name and address of the current or most recent employer of the debtor, if any, together with the date the employer last reported wage information concerning the debtor and issue an additional civil order of arrest pursuant to section 3134 directing the sheriff to cause the debtor named in the order to be arrested and delivered to the District Court without obtaining from the debtor a personal recognizance bond. This paragraph is repealed February 15, 2016.
A debtor admitted to personal recognizance bond under this section or section 3134 shall date and sign the bond and provide the following information: date of birth, hair color, eye color, height, weight, gender, race, telephone number, name of employer, address of employer and days and hours of employment. This paragraph is repealed February 15, 2016.
Sec. 3. 14 MRSA §3135, as amended by PL 2011, c. 177, §1, is further amended by adding at the end 2 new paragraphs to read:
Beginning February 15, 2016, if the debtor fails to appear at the time and place specified in a personal recognizance bond obtained by the sheriff, clerk or court, and upon request of the judgment creditor, the court shall order the Department of Labor to provide the judgment creditor with the name and address of the current or most recent employer of the debtor, if any, together with the date the employer last reported wage information concerning the debtor and issue an additional civil order of arrest pursuant to section 3134 directing the sheriff to cause the debtor named in the order to be arrested and delivered to the District Court without obtaining from the debtor a personal recognizance bond.
Beginning February 15, 2016, a debtor admitted to personal recognizance bond under this section shall date and sign the bond and provide the following information: date of birth, hair color, eye color, height, weight, gender, race, telephone number, name of employer, address of employer and days and hours of employment.