Is Maine considering a law to require annual registration of lawnmowers? | Fact brief

Maine officials are not considering a law to require annual registration of lawnmowers.

(Screenshot via Facebook)

An image shared widely on Facebook claims Gov. Janet Mills sponsored a proposal to require all Maine residents to register lawnmowers, with a $38 annual fee and a “weather-resistant sticker.” The image said those using unregistered mowers could be subject to a fine.

In a Facebook post, the Maine Department of the Secretary of State said the viral image is “definitely not” true.

A search of the Maine Legislature’s online tracker for pending bills containing the word “lawn” returns one result: LD 192, which seeks to exempt utility vehicles purchased for commercial fishing, agriculture, aquaculture or wood harvesting from sales tax.

Under Article IV of the Maine Constitution, only members of the Legislature can sponsor bills. The governor can propose bills that are then sponsored by a lawmaker and denoted as a “governor’s bill,” but they don’t bear the governor’s name.