WHEREAS, Jewish Americans have resided in Maine since colonial times, and today, there are over 12,000 Jews living in our state; and

WHEREAS, Bangor was home to Maine’s first synagogue, established in 1849, as well as the largest Jewish community at the time which consisted of six families; and

WHEREAS, throughout their presence in Maine, Jews have faced antisemitism, frequently called the “world’s oldest hatred” and a scourge that still persists today; and

WHEREAS, landmark infrastructure investments from the federal government, including through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, are creating millions of construction jobs nationwide in the transportation, clean energy, and manufacturing sectors, providing an opportunity to significantly expand access to high quality jobs in the State of Maine;

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

You all know that last October a gunman took the lives of 18 innocent citizens and injured many more — in an act of senseless and unconscionable violence which devastated our communities and shook our sense of security — the worst mass shooting in Maine history and the tenth worst in our nation’s history.

In the months that followed that tragedy, my office talked with Republican and Democratic lawmakers and with people and organizations across Maine, listening to ideas and concerns and trying to develop a reasonable and balanced approach to the difficult issue of gun violence in the state of Maine. Each person had ideas about what we could do, and each of these ideas was different.

But what was not different — and what was largely agreed upon — was an overarching belief that violence prevention is important; that we must strengthen our mental health system; and that dangerous people should not have easy access to firearms.

Out of those discussions, I introduced legislation earlier this year to enact meaningful public safety protections, to honor the rights afforded by our state and federal constitutions to safe and legal gun ownership, and to uphold our state’s longstanding outdoor heritage.

I am proud to say that last week, one day after the six-month anniversary of the Lewiston tragedy, I signed that legislation into law after the legislature enacted it. 

This law improves Maine’s extreme risk protection order law, it expands checks against the National Instant Criminal Background Check System for advertised sales of guns, and it encourages other sellers to check the buyer’s background so that dangerous people do not have access to firearms.

I also signed into law a supplemental budget. And that budget establishes an Office of Violence Prevention. And it strengthens Maine’s mental health system.

In addition to the supplemental budget and my public safety bill, the legislature also advanced two other proposals related to gun violence, including a bill to require a 72 hour waiting period before purchasing a firearm.

Well, I spent ten days, the maximum time allowed under the Constitution, speaking to people who oppose and who support establishing a “cooling off” period in Maine. These are people of good faith with strongly and sincerely held beliefs who offered arguments on both sides. And I listened to them, I was conflicted.

But after carefully considering all the arguments, I decided to allow the 72-hour waiting period bill to become law without my signature. I did so, however, with some concerns and with the hope that it can be implemented to accomplish its intended goal of preventing suicide by firearm without overburdening our outdoor sports economy and the rights of responsible, law-abiding gun owners and dealers.

The other proposal advanced by the legislature aimed to ban the sale and possession of devices that might be used to turn a semi-automatic weapon into something that operates like a machine gun. 

Well, let’s be clear, machine guns have long been prohibited under Maine and Federal law, and I agree that devices whose sole purpose is to convert a lawful firearm into a weapon that is the functional equivalent of a machine gun ought to be restricted. But I was concerned with this particular bill because its unusual language was more expansive than Federal law and unlike any other state law, and the manner in which it was developed in the short time available during for any public comment or review created serious questions about this bill. And for those reasons, I vetoed that measure.

Look, violence is not a simple problem, nor is the remedy a single, simple measure. But I am proud that we have enacted practical, common-sense measures to keep people safe. Measures that are Maine-made and true to our culture and our longstanding traditions while meeting today’s needs.

This is Governor Janet Mills, and I thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, mental health is an essential component of overall health and wellbeing, and through working together to raise public awareness and reduce stigma around seeking mental health treatment, we can improve the lives of individuals and families experiencing mental health challenges; and

WHEREAS, 50 percent of all mental health disorders begin by age 14 and 75 percent of all mental health disorders begin by the mid-20's; and

WHEREAS, forest trees cover eighty-nine percent of Maine's land, making the state the most heavily forested in the United States; and

WHEREAS, city and town shade trees provide natural beauty, shade, and refreshing health for urban environments; and

WHEREAS, trees can reduce erosion of topsoil by wind and water, moderate the temperature, clean the air, produce oxygen, and provide habitat for wildlife; and

WHEREAS, emergency medical services is a vital public service; and WHEREAS, the members of emergency medical services teams are ready to provide lifesaving care to those in need 24 hours a day, seven days a week; and WHEREAS, access to quality emergency care dramatically improves the survival and recovery rate of those who experience sudden illness or injury; and WHEREAS, emergency medical services has grown to fill a gap by providing important, out of hospital care, including preventative medicine, follow-up care, and a

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, thank you for listening.

As you know, last December, heavy rains and powerful winds brought massive flooding that destroyed homes and businesses, roads, and bridges across Maine. Four people lost their lives.

Then in January, two more violent storms caused some of the highest tides ever, which swept fish houses into the sea, kicked pilings out from underneath once-sturdy piers, broke up dunes and breakwaters, chewed up roads and sea walls, wiped storekeepers dry of stock and really changed the very landscape of our coast.

Those things broke my heart. To help Maine people recover and rebuild, I asked President Biden to issue Major Disaster Declarations to free up federal assistance for public infrastructure repairs and for individual assistance for people hardest hit by the back-to-back storms. 

I am very grateful to President Biden for approving those requests.

While my Administration sought every available federal dollar for disaster recovery, I also introduced a stand-alone, emergency bill proposing to use $50 million from our record high “Rainy Day Fund” to ensure that contractors and fishermen and towns could rebuild and get things up and running again as soon as possible.

The Legislature then added $10 million in disaster assistance and recovery for small businesses, which I also supported. But then, because nothing can ever be simple in Augusta, that bill got caught up in last minute politics, when some lawmakers tried to add millions of dollars more in unrelated spending to this simple bill.

Thankfully, we scaled that back, and I am happy to report that we finally got the storm relief package passed, ultimately as part of the supplemental budget.

I am disappointed the bill was not enacted as an emergency measure, as I wanted, which would have allowed it to take effect immediately upon my signature, but I have directed my Administration to be prepared to distribute the $60 million in storm-related relief as soon as that money is available.

We expect to have applications for infrastructure funding available by May 9 and applications for small businesses ready by May 16. So stay tuned — we will be sure to let you know when you can apply.

In the meantime, my Administration will continue to do everything possible to help Maine communities recover and rebuild and become more resilient to future catastrophic weather events.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening. 

WHEREAS, soccer is among the most popular sports in the world and has grown rapidly across the United States in recent years; and

WHEREAS, the sport's younger, diverse fan base is fueling the interest of new athletes and fans alike; and

WHEREAS, Maine people of all ages have played soccer for decades in schoolyards, in soccer clubs, and competitively for collegiate and professional teams around the world; and