Sec. 1. 17-A MRSA §554, sub-§1, ¶B-1, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 694, Pt. C, §4 and affected by Pt. E, §2, is amended to read:

B-1. Being the parent, foster parent, guardian or other person having the care and custody of the child, cruelly treats that child by abuse, neglect or extreme punishment; or

Sec. 2. 17-A MRSA §554, sub-§1, ¶B-2 is enacted to read:

B-2.__Leaves a child under 5 years of age unattended in a motor vehicle.__For the purposes of this paragraph, "unattended" means out of eyesight of the person and there is not a person over 12 years of age in the vehicle.

Sec. 3. 17-A MRSA §554, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 1975, c. 499, §1, is amended to read:

3. Endangering the welfare of a child is a Class D crime, except that leaving a child under 5 years of age unattended in a motor vehicle as defined in subsection 1, paragraph B-2 is a Class E crime.

SUMMARY

This bill makes leaving a child under 5 years of age unattended in a motor vehicle a Class E crime.