A bill under consideration in Maine would require residential construction contractors to be registered by the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation. In addition to basic contact and business information, the registry would include the contractor's website, number of years in business, any criminal convictions or bankruptcy petitions in the last 10 years, insurance, and any other occupational licenses held in any jurisdiction in the last 10 years. Registration renewal would be annual.
The commissioner of the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation testified against the bill, noting that a licensing program's purpose is to set minimum standards, not address issues of fraud such as those that prompted the bill.
