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An Act Regarding Stolen Valor
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §354, sub-§2, ¶A, as amended by PL 2015, c. 21, §1, is further amended to read:
 
A. Creates or reinforces an impression that is false and that the person does not believe to be true, including false claimsimpressions that the person is a veteran or a member of the Armed Forces of the United States or a state military force and false impressions as to identity, law, value, knowledge, opinion, intention or other state of mind; except that an intention not to perform a promise, or knowledge that a promise will not be performed, may not be inferred from the fact alone that the promise was not performed;
Sec. 2.  17-A MRSA §1306  is enacted to read:
§ 1306. Deposit of certain fines in Maine Military Family Relief Fund
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, if a person is convicted under section 354, subsection 2, paragraph A of theft by deception due to that person's intentional creation or reinforcement of a false impression that the person is a veteran or a member of the Armed Forces of the United States or a state military force, any fine imposed on that person by the court must be deposited in the Maine Military Family Relief Fund established in Title 37-B, section 158.
Sec. 3. 37-B MRSA §158, as amended by PL 2013, c. 424, Pt. A, §29, is further amended to read:
§ 158.Maine Military Family Relief Fund
The Maine Military Family Relief Fund, referred to in this section as "the fund," is established as a nonlapsing fund in the department administered according to rules adopted by the Adjutant General. The funds deposited in the fund include, but are not limited to, fines imposed by the court on any person convicted under Title 17-A, section 354, subsection 2, paragraph A of theft by deception due to that person's intentional creation or reinforcement of a false impression that the person is a veteran or a member of the Armed Forces of the United States or a state military force. The Adjutant General is authorized to award loans and grants from the fund for emergencies and other special needs to members or families of members of the Maine National Guard or residents of the State who are members or families of members of the Reserves of the Armed Forces of the United States and to distribute funds to a statewide nonprofit organization established for the purpose of providing assistance to members or families of members of the Maine National Guard or residents of the State who are members or families of members of the Reserves of the Armed Forces of the United States. The Military Bureau shall adopt rules establishing eligibility criteria for the loans and grants. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
 
SUMMARY
Public Law 2015, chapter 21 amended the law governing theft by deception to specifically include as deception false claims of being a veteran or a member of the Armed Forces of the United States or a state military force. This bill specifies instead that the intentional creation or reinforcement of a false impression that a person is such a veteran or member constitutes deception under this law. This bill also specifies that any fine imposed on such a person must be deposited in the Maine Military Family Relief Fund.