Governor Mills Signs Bills Into Law

Announces she will hold onto others for continued review until next Legislative session

Governor Janet Mills has signed the following bills into law:

• LD 1671 "An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Maine Capital Investment Credit To Ensure Fairness for Maine Businesses"
• LD 1761 "An Act To Assist Small Beer Manufacturers"
• LD 898 "An Act To Provide for a Professional Wage and Support for New Educators"
• LD 1844 "Resolve, Directing the Public Utilities Commission To Evaluate the Ownership of Maine's Power Delivery Systems" (Emergency)
• LD 847 "An Act To Ensure Persons with Disabilities Have Access to Public Rest Rooms"
• LD 1028 "An Act To Prevent and Reduce Tobacco Use with Adequate Funding and by Raising the Tax on Tobacco Products"
• LD 1094 "An Act To Increase Funding for Staffing for the Child Welfare Services Ombudsman Program"
• LD 1149 "An Act To Strengthen Resource Sharing and Access to Library Materials among Maine Libraries"
• LD 1274 "An Act To Enact the Health Insurance Consumer Assistance Program"
• LD 1277 "An Act To Require the Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention To Be Credentialed"
• LD 1523 "An Act To Ensure the Quality of and Increase Access to Recovery Residences"
• LD 459 "An Act To Include Homelessness in the Laws Governing Emergency General Assistance"
• LD 1548 "Resolve, To Promote Quality and Transparency in the Provision of Services by Assisted Housing Programs That Provide Memory Care"
• LD 1573 "An Act To Clarify Provisions of the Maine Juvenile Code Regarding Inspection, Disclosure and Dissemination of Juvenile Case Records and To Change Gender-specific Terms"
• LD 1628 "An Act To Implement Recommendations of the Department of Environmental Protection Regarding the State's Container Redemption Laws"
• LD 855 "An Act To Strengthen the Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code"
• LD 1749 "An Act To Amend the State's Hemp Laws"
• LD 959 "An Act To Increase Funding for the Maine Lakes Society "LakeSmart" Program and the Lake Stewards of Maine Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program"
• LD 1337 "An Act To Save Lives by Establishing a Homeless Opioid Users Service Engagement Program within the Department of Health and Human Services"

"I have signed more than six hundred bills into law this Legislative session. These new laws – sponsored and supported by Democrats, Republicans, Independents and Greens alike – will move Maine in a positive direction, " said Governor Mills. "From expanding access to health care, embracing renewable energy, improving our education system, diversifying our economy, and much more, I am proud of the progress we have made, and I look forward to continued collaboration on behalf of the people of Maine. "

Governor Mills has signed 606 bills. She has allowed 45 to become law without her signature, and she has vetoed eight bills, all of which were sustained.

Other legislation has been "held by the governor " for further review, meaning that the bills have neither been signed, or vetoed, or become law without her signature. According to the Maine Constitution, if the governor does not act on legislation within ten days, it then becomes law unless:

"...the Legislature by their adjournment prevent its [legislation] return, in which case it shall have such force and effect, unless returned within 3 days after the next meeting of the same Legislature which enacted the bill or resolution. "

With the Legislature having adjourned Sine Die on June 20, 2019, the Governor is holding onto some bills for further review until the start of the next Legislative session, at which time she will have three days to act on them.

"The Legislature has passed a significant number of bills this session, and I take seriously my constitutional obligation to thoroughly review all of them, evaluate their implications, and decide whether they are in the best interest of Maine people, " said Governor Mills. "In order to meet that responsibility, I will continue to review these bills and gather more information, and I look forward to acting on them at the beginning of the next legislative session. "

Bills "held by the governor" include:

• LD 1342 "An Act To Establish the Maine Workforce, Research, Development and Student Achievement Institute"
• LD 1386 "An Act Regarding the Determination of the Prevailing Wage Rate for Public Works Projects"
• LD 1612 "An Act Regarding the Presumption of Abandonment of Gift Obligations"
• LD 1550 "An Act To Create a Victims' Compensation Fund for Victims of Property Crimes"
• LD 1698 "An Act To Create Jobs and Slow Climate Change by Promoting the Production of Natural Resources Bioproducts"
• LD 1758 "An Act To Clarify and Amend MaineCare Reimbursement Provisions for Nursing and Residential Care Facilities" (Emergency)
• LD 1809 "Resolve, To Increase Funding for Evidence-based Therapies for Treating Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Children" (Emergency)
• LD 1838 "Resolve, Requiring the Department of Health and Human Services To Examine Options for Upper Payment Limit Adjustments for MaineCare Services"
• LD 1453 "An Act To Improve Dental Health for Maine Children and Adults with Low Incomes"
• LD 1399 "An Act To Improve Oral Health and Access to Dental Care for Maine Children"
• LD 766 "An Act Regarding the Penobscot Nation's and Passamaquoddy Tribe's Authority To Exercise Jurisdiction under the Federal Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 and the Federal Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013"
• LD 54 "An Act To Limit the Influence of Lobbyists by Expanding the Prohibition on Accepting Political Contributions "
• LD 268 "An Act To Create a Credit under the Commercial Forestry Excise Tax for Landowners Using Businesses Based in the United States "
• LD 517 "An Act To Facilitate Fair Ballot Representation for All Candidates "
• LD 545 "An Act To Ban Child Marriage "
• LD 553 "An Act To Ensure Proper Oversight of Sports Betting in the State "
• LD 775 "Resolve, To Direct the Department of Health and Human Services To Amend Its Rules for Eligibility for Community Support Services "
• LD 793 "An Act To Improve Accountability of Opioid Manufacturers "
• LD 1016 "Resolve, To Require the Construction of a New District Headquarters Building for the Bureau of Forestry in Fort Kent"
• LD 833 "An Act To Provide the Same Retirement Benefits for State Employees Working as Emergency Communications Specialists as Are Provided to Law Enforcement Officers "
• LD 866 "An Act To Support College Completion by Homeless Youth in Maine "
• LD 1036 "Resolve, Establishing a Task Force To Study the Creation of a Comprehensive Career and Technical Education System and Increased Crosswalks for Academic Credit between Secondary Schools and Career and Technical Education Programs (EMERGENCY)"
• LD 1104 "An Act To Clarify the State's Commitments Concerning Certain Public Service Retirement Benefits"
• LD 1207 "An Act To Expand the 1998 Special Retirement Plan To Include Detectives in the Office of Investigations within the Department of the Secretary of State, Bureau of Motor Vehicles"
• LD 1208 "An Act To Expand the 1998 Special Retirement Plan To Include Detectives in the Office of the Attorney General"
• LD 1249 "An Act To Prohibit the Abuse and Isolation of Older and Dependent Adults"
• LD 1294 "Resolve, Directing the Maine Human Rights Commission To Implement a Pilot Program To Investigate and Report on Incidents of Harassment Due to Housing Status, Lack of Employment and Other Issues"
• LD 1311 "An Act Regarding the Sale of Dogs and Cats at Pet Shops"
• LD 1315 "An Act To Support Medically Monitored Crisis Support and Intervention"
• LD 1426 "An Act To Increase Protections for Land Installment Contracts"
• LD 1442 "An Act To Provide for Court-appointed Advocates for Justice in Animal Cruelty Cases"
• LD 1518 "An Act To Establish a Fund for Portions of the Operations and Outreach Activities of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Diagnostic and Research Laboratory and To Increase Statewide Enforcement of Pesticide Use"
• LD 1597 "An Act To Provide a Sales Tax Exemption for Purchases Made by Nonprofit Seasonal Camps"
• LD 1670 "An Act To Limit the Dissemination of Juvenile Records"
• LD 1700 "Resolve, To Promote the Inclusion of African-American History and Culture in the Curricular Offerings of School Administrative Units"
• LD 1703 "An Act To Improve Consistency within the Maine Human Rights Act"
• LD 1718 "An Act To Exempt Purchases by Pet Food Pantries from Sales Tax"
• LD 1756 "An Act To Improve Public Safety through Coordinated Reentry of Prisoners into the Community"
• LD 1808 "An Act To Provide a Sales Tax Exemption for Certain Nonprofit Charitable Organizations"

Governor Mills has taken action on all other legislation sent to her office by the Legislature this session.

In addition, she worked with all parties to secure timely, bipartisan enactment of a biennial budget, to draft and enact significant workers compensation reform, first-of-its-kind paid leave legislation and firearm safety legislation.

Governor Mills praised legislative leaders for ending the session on time, only a few hours after statutory adjournment.