Gov. Janet Mills (D) and Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey have introduced legislation to grant subpoena power to the commission tasked with investigating the mass shooting that occurred last October.
The Independent Commission to Investigate the Facts of the Tragedy in Lewiston was established by Executive Order on November 9, 2023.
At the Commission’s first public meeting on November 20, the members unanimously agreed to proceed with asking the governor to request subpoena power from the legislature in order to “ensure [their] effectiveness and advance [their] goal of transparency.”
[RELATED: Mills’ Secretive Lewiston Shooting Commission Has First Meeting]
That same day, Mills and Frey announced their willingness to work with the Commission to secure them this power.
Prior to the Commission’s official formation, Mills and Frey had preemptively pledged in a joint letter to the members of the Commission that they were willing to “seek any appropriate authorization from the Legislature” that was needed to “discharge [their] fact finding responsibilities fully and properly.”
The official legislation requesting the subpoena power — LD 2192 — was introduced Thursday and sponsored by Senate President Troy Jackson (D-Aroostook), Speaker of the House Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland), Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook), and House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor).
“This legislation, which comes at the request of the Independent Commission, will ensure that the Commission has the tools it needs to fully and effectively discharge its critical mission of determining the facts of the tragedy in Lewiston,” Mills and Frey said in a joint statement Wednesday.
“We know that the Legislature shares the goal of understanding the facts in an independent, nonpartisan manner, are grateful for the bipartisan support of the four legislative leaders, and hope the Legislature will quickly approve the measure,” said Mills and Frey.
Click Here to Read the Full Statement from Gov. Mills and AG Frey
According to the press release from the governor and attorney general, LD 2192 “would enable the Independent Commission to issue subpoenas to compel the production of documents and the testimony of witnesses with a majority vote of the body.”
“In the event that an individual or entity does not comply, the Independent Commission would be permitted to apply to the Maine Superior Court to seek to compel compliance in any state, federal or military court or tribunal,” the press release explains.
Should the requisite two-thirds of both chambers vote in support of the LD 2192, the legislation would take immediate effect.
Click Here to Read the Full Legislation Introduced Thursday
Check Out More of the Maine Wire’s Coverage of the Independent Commission to Investigate the Facts of the Tragedy in Lewiston
Mills’ Secretive Lewiston Shooting Commission Has First Meeting
Independent Commission on Lewiston Mass Shooting to Hold First Organizational Meeting Nov. 20
Janet Mills’ Panel on Lewiston Shooting to Include Mental Health Experts
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="24964 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=24964">3 Comments
The adultrist, Aaron Frey, is probably right now in constant contact with MOMS DEMAND ACTION, EVERY TOWN USA, and UNITED AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE so he can extract and push as much anti gun legislation in Maine because of the gift that keeps on giving, Robert Card, who suffered from a severe mental disorder. Everything else they do is nothing but smoke and mirrors.
The State Police, who answer to the governor, allowed this to happen. It will be exposed that they hindered local cops from catching this guy. But by then the damage will have been done. It’s always the same.
The whole thing reeks like Uvalde. These people will stop at nothing to disarm the people. This incident is being used nationwide to promote anti-gun laws.
Individual cops are not to blame. It is the political forces that control them that are responsible.
But if you point out the obvious, you get labeled a conspiracy theorist. Do you think your government is not capable of such a thing? Then either you are naive or unaware of our country’s history.
Subpoena Power, why? Are the demoKKKrats going to use this as their very own J6 hearings?