AUGUSTA – A bill, LD 662, which will provide funding for organizations that recruit retiring military members and their families to Maine while offering support as they transition to civilian life is now law. The bill includes language from LD 620, legislation that was originally introduced this year by Rep. Parnell Terry, D-Gorham.
“I want to thank everyone who made this possible – the veterans, advocates and organizations who know Maine is a great place for newly retired servicemembers and their families to lay down roots, and help strengthen our economy,” said Terry. “While our state is grappling with an aging workforce, these dedicated individuals can be connected with Maine employers – making the measure a win-win for veterans and businesses. I am so pleased to see this idea become an ongoing program moving forward.”
The legislation builds on the success of a pilot project within Maine’s Department of Economic and Community Development to support organizations recruiting retiring military members. The project was created through legislation enacted by the Legislature in 2022 with an initial spending total of $200,000 that the new law makes permanent moving forward.
In 2024, following the creation of the pilot program, the primary organization recruiting active-duty military members, veterans and military spouses had supported more than 825 new Mainers in putting down roots here. Results from the pilot project showed that 94 percent of the candidates who completed the program found work within 60 days of arriving in Maine. Sixty-five percent of those participants were not originally from Maine and neither was their spouse.
Further, the bill creates the Survivors of Military Sexual Trauma Program and provides funding at $285,000 annually to assist organizations that help unhoused veterans and their children, as well as survivors of military sexual trauma.
Rep. Terry is serving his first term in the Maine House and represents part of Gorham. He is a member of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, as well as the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee.
Contact:
Brian Lee | 305-965-2744