Maine’s 132nd Legislature is winding down and set to conclude its special emergency session by Wednesday or Thursday, following two weeks of intense, 11th-hour legislative work. Governor Janet Mills (D) signed the contentious, second biennial budget Monday, paving the way for final actions, while more vetoes are expected this week.
The Senate will convene Wednesday at 9 a.m., followed by the House at 10 a.m., with the Legislative Council meeting Tuesday to finalize unresolved issues.
Monday: Budget Signed, Vetoes Expected
On Monday, Governor Janet Mills signed the second biennial budget into law, describing it as a balanced compromise.
“Earlier this year, I proposed a balanced, fiscally responsible budget that prioritized keeping the State’s key promises to Maine people,” Mills said. “At the same time, with so much uncertainty coming from Washington, and so much uncertainty in our economy, maintaining fiscal restraint has never been more important.”
“The budget bill enacted by the Legislature, like all lawmaking, is the product of various tradeoffs and compromises. Although I might not agree with every single provision, I appreciate the diligence and hard work of the Appropriations Committee to produce this bill, which makes important investments in Maine families, children, and seniors, our higher education institutions, housing, and more,” she continued.
The budget raises taxes and fees, including $1.50 per pack of cigarettes, a 5.5 percent streaming tax on Netflix and Hulu, a 14 percent cannabis tax, $0.50 per gallon of paint, two percent real estate transfer tax on homes over $1 million, and higher hunting and firearms license fees to fund increased Democratic spending.
Mills’ signature signals the Legislature’s path to adjournment. The Governor has a 10-day window (excluding Sundays) to veto bills after they hit her desk. More veto letters are expected throughout the week, following her rejections of LD 588 and LD 1802.
[RELATED: Mills First Two Vetos Nix Farmworker Unionization and Indigent Defense Bills]
Tuesday: Legislative Council, Red Flag Work Session and Appropriations
Tuesday’s only scheduled event is a 3 p.m. Legislative Council meeting, comprising Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford), Senate President Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland), Senate Majority Leader Theresa Pierce (D-Cumberland), Assistant Senate Majority Leader Jill Duson (D-Cumberland), House Majority Leader Matt Moonen (D-Portland), House Assistant Majority Leader Lori Gramlich (D-Old Orchard Beach), House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor), Assistant House Minority Leader Katrina Smith (R-Palermo), Senate Minority Leader Trey Stewart (R-Aroostook), and Assistant Senate Minority Leader Matt Harrington (R-York).
The council’s makeup reflects the Maine legislature’s partisan and geographic divide, with Democrats based in southern Maine and Republicans largely from rural areas.
The council will focus on tying up loose ends before adjournment, potentially including setting a work session for LD 1378, “An Act to Protect Maine Communities by Enacting the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act”. LD 1378 is more commonly known as the Red Flag Bill. Despite a Judiciary Committee public hearing, Chairs Sen. Anne Carney (D-Cumberland) and Rep. Amy Kuhn (D-Falmouth) have stalled a work session, likely to avoid recorded votes. This comes after Chairs Carney and Kuhn also stalled the public hearing for the bill.
Lacking a two-thirds majority for direct passage on the floor, Democrats may let the bill die in committee, sending it directly to a November 2025 referendum. This avoids putting rural Democrats running again in 2026 on the record for a vote bound to be highly unpopular among sportsmen. If the bill dies in committee and goes directly to ballot referendum, it is expected that out-of-state gun control groups will largely fund the ballot campaign in the hope of imposing a Red Flag law on Maine citizens.
The Appropriations Committee may also meet Tuesday to allocate around $3 million from the special appropriations table, where passed bills await funding. Democrats are expected to prioritize their projects, likely excluding Republican bills in the current hostile political environment.
Wednesday: Final Adjournment Looms
Wednesday’s session may mark the special emergency session’s end, with negotiations and last-minute deals expected. Historically, final days see “creative” funding solutions for majority priorities. These types of maneuvers take time.
The day is expected to be long, with many starts and stops as papers move between the chambers and deals are struck. The Legislature may also address Mills’ current vetos, with more potential deliberations on new vetos also possible by Wednesday. Veto override votes require a two-thirds majority of members present in the chamber at the time of the vote – in almost any scenario this would need cooperation from Republicans.
Adjournment Sine Die, potentially Wednesday evening or early Thursday, will close the 132nd Legislature’s 2025 activities. The 132nd Legislature is next scheduled to meet for the Second Regular Session in January 2026.
