AUGUSTA (AP) – A new form of high-tech theft, “skimming” personal financial data from credit, debit or charge cards, is targeted by a bill signed into law Thursday by Gov. John Baldacci.

The law is aimed at curtailing criminals who engage in such activities to defraud consumers or businesses. It creates a new crime of misuse of a scanning device or encoder. Under the new law, offenders could spend up to a year in jail and pay $2,000 fines.

The new Maine law is proactive, since electronic skimmers have not yet been recovered in the state. But police told the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee that skimming devices, which can be as small as pagers, have shown up in several New England states.

Will Lund, director of the Office of Consumer Credit Regulation, said it’s only a matter of time before skimming is discovered in Maine.

Maine merchants and banking industry officials supported the bill. Federal and state laws protect consumers from having to pay charges resulting from skimming, but straightening out such cases of identity theft often take a lot of time and effort.

Committee backs tribal racino

AUGUSTA (AP) – A Maine legislative committee overwhelmingly endorsed a bill to allow an Indian-run harness racing track and slot machines in Washington County.

The Legal and Veterans Affairs Committee’s incomplete 10-1 vote signals a willingness by some lawmakers to support a significant expansion of gambling in Maine.

Currently, there are only two commercial harness-racing tracks in Maine, in Scarborough and Bangor. Slot machines are allowed only at the Bangor Raceway under current law.

State Sen. Kevin Raye, R-Perry, said the Passamaquoddy Tribe’s proposal brings “great hope” to the people of Washington County. Gov. John Baldacci opposes an expansion of gambling but hasn’t said whether he would veto the bill, which faces votes in the full Legislature.

Opponents said that by voting to allow up to 1,500 slot machines in the Down East county elected officials “are listening to quick-buck artists and charlatans who claim that Maine can gamble its way to riches.”

Dennis Bailey, executive director of Casinos NO!, also said the vote ignores the people of Maine and Washington County “who have consistently rejected slot machines for any location other than existing racetracks.”

—

Ban on assault weapons killed by committee

Eds: LD 1579

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) – A gun control bill that drew a crowd of activists to a hearing earlier this week was killed Thursday by a legislative committee.

The bill seeking to impose a ban on assault weapons was killed for this year’s session by a unanimous vote of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee after the sponsor, Sen. Ethan Strimling, D-Portland, acknowledged flaws with the proposal.

Strimling’s bill was intended to fill a gap left by the expiration last September of a federal assault weapons ban, which had been in effect for a decade.

But gun-owners’ rights advocates and other opponents said the federal law was ineffective and expressed concerns the Maine bill would erode their constitutional right to bear arms.