AUGUSTA – Legislation to support veteran survivors of military sexual trauma (MST), introduced by Rep. Morgan Rielly, D-Westbrook, received unanimous support Wednesday from the Maine Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee.
LD 662 builds on Rielly’s work in the 131st Legislature. The bill would provide funding to better support the Sisters in Arms Center and the survivors they work with.
“By supporting this bill, the Maine Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee has told survivors of military sexual trauma and their children and families that they matter,” said Rielly. “My bill, as amended by the committee, will provide ongoing funding for three positions at the Sisters in Arms Center along with per diem coverage and money for a contracted therapist. I am hopeful that these survivors will finally receive the funding support they need this legislative session.”
“We are incredibly grateful to Representative Rielly for his continuous and unwavering support towards military sexual trauma survivors,” said Rebecca Cornell du Houx, executive director of Sisters in Arms Center. “After three years of advocacy, the members of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee were the ones to truly have our backs. Given the high numbers of suicide among MST survivors, it is a lifesaver. If this measure is funded, community services for MST survivors and their children will be available for years to come.”
“The services provided by Sisters in Arms are a critical part of how we support the 19,000 Mainers who experience sexual violence every year,” said Elizabeth Ward Saxl, executive director of the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault. “We are so grateful for Representative Rielly for presenting this bill and for the committee for unanimously supporting it.”
LD 662 will come before the full House and Senate for further votes in the coming weeks.
Rielly is serving his third term in the Maine House of Representatives and is a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Marine Resources and the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. He represents a portion of Westbrook.
Contact:
Brian Lee (Rielly) | 305-965-2744