Governor Mills Announces Actions on Bills Held From Prior Legislative Session

Governor intends to let vast majority of held bills become law and notifies the Legislature of veto of LD 1228; the Legislature has recalled seven bills from her desk for consideration in coming session

Governor Janet Mills today announced that she will allow nearly all of the enacted bills held from the prior session of the Legislature to become law. 

The Governor announced that 52 of the 61 bills from the previous legislative session will become law, that the Legislature will recall seven bills for their consideration in the upcoming session, and that she has vetoed one bill – LD 1228, An Act to Clarify Certain Terms in and to Make Other Changes to the Automotive Right to Repair Laws. The Governor vetoed the bill because she believes it harms local Maine auto repair shops and strays too far from the will of Maine people expressed through the “Right to Repair” Referendum in 2023. Read her veto letter (PDF). 

These bills were held after the Legislature adjourned in June, during the 10-day period following their enactment that the Governor is provided with under the Constitution to consider them. Under this adjournment scenario, if the Governor does not sign legislation within the initial 10-day window, the Governor can only either veto the bills or allow them to pass into law after three days of the subsequent session. 

With the Legislature passing a significant number of bills at the end of its prior session, the Governor took seriously her Constitutional obligation to thoroughly review each bill to evaluate its impacts on Maine’s people, businesses and economy. 

“I appreciate the hard work of the Legislature to send a considerable number of bills to my desk, which required review and deliberation in advance of the upcoming session,” said Governor Mills. “These decisions reflect careful consideration of each bill. I look forward to continuing to work with the Legislature in this next session, my last as Governor, on legislation to benefit our state into the future.” 

The bills that will become law will take effect 90 days following the adjournment of the upcoming legislative session, unless they were enacted as an emergency, which will allow them to take effect immediately after session’s third day. Per Maine law, this would be midnight on Saturday, January 10. 

The Governor continues to consider one remaining bill, LD 1164, and intends to announce her decision in the coming days.

A list of the bills becoming law, and those to be recalled by the Legislature, are listed below. Those enacted as emergencies are marked as such.