Governor Janet Mills is confirming her veto of five bills approved by the legislature this year.
The highest profile of her rejections is a bill requiring public defenders for people who can’t afford one, which Mills says improperly includes people not threatened with jail time.
She also vetoed a bill to protect agriculture workers from retaliation for protesting work conditions, saying it presents a burdensome set of labor laws on small farmers who dominate the state’s agriculture industry.
in addition, Mills vetoed a measure to prevent the state from using eminent domain to take land belonging to Native American tribes. She said there have been no examples of disputes over eminent domain of tribal lands in Maine.
Further, Mills vetoed a measure to beef up the power of the Advisory Board for the Maine State Ferry Service, saying the move is not necessary. And she’s rejected a bill to fund two recovery centers for underserved populations, saying funding channeled through MaineHousing would be an inappropriate use of that agency’s function.
Overriding a veto requires the support of at least two-thirds of lawmakers in each chamber, which the Democratic-controlled Legislature has not done that since Mills took office. Lawmakers will return to the capitol soon to take up the governor’s vetoes.
