AUGUSTA - The Legislature's Veterans and Legal Affairs (VLA) Committee voted unanimously, of those present and voting, on Wednesday to advance a proposal to strengthen how the Maine National Guard prevents and responds to sexual assault and sexual harassment. The bill, LD 2029, was drafted by the committee following a briefing from the Maine National Guard on the issue, as required by LD 625, a bill sponsored by Rep. Morgan Rielly, D-Westbrook.
"I am proud of the work our committee has done drafting this legislation," said Rielly, who spearheaded the committees work on LD 2029. "Between the governor's executive order and the work from our committee, we are making important progress towards giving survivors of sexual trauma the justice they deserve and improving systems of accountability and prevention in the Maine National Guard."
Gov. Janet Mills signed an executive order last week establishing an advisory council to strengthen the Maine National Guard's response to sexual assault and harassment. During the public hearing for LD 2029 on Friday, several service members who survived sexual trauma in the Maine National Guard testified in support of the bill.
As amended, LD 2029 would require an annual report from the adjutant general to the members of the VLA Committee, and it would direct the attorney general to perform a review of allegations of sexual abuse and harassment by members of the guard against other members. The measure would also add the crime of harassment to the Maine Code of Military Justice and add a member appointed by the governor to the Maine Commission on Domestic and Sexual Abuse. LD 2029 would additionally require the adjutant general to provide current and former members of the Maine National Guard who survived sexual assault while in service with financial assistance to cover the expenses associated with attending judicial proceedings related to the assault.
The full Legislature will vote on LD 2029 in the coming weeks.
Rielly is serving his first term in the Maine House of Representatives as a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs. He represents a portion of Westbrook.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Rielly], c. 812-1111