Governor Janet Mills May 10, 2024 Night delivered remarks before the Maine House of Representatives to thank lawmakers for their service to the people of Maine after the 131st Legislature adjourned sine die.

The Governor is prepared to receive the bills from the Senate. With the Legislature having adjourned sine die, the Governor now has two options before her: to sign a bill into law within 10 days of its receipt or to not sign a bill. If she does not sign a bill, it does not become law. The Governor will review and consider the bills in the coming days.

The Governor’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are as follows:

Members of the 131st Legislature

I know that today has been a long day, and on behalf of the people of Maine, I want to thank you for your commitment to your constituents and for pouring your hearts and souls into creating public policy for the people of our state this session.

Like every legislative session, this one was not easy - but it should not be. The problems we faced were not easy, and neither were the solutions.

You convened this winter in the wake of deeply traumatic events that threatened the safety and security of Maine people, from the horrific attack on the people of Lewiston last October to the back-to-back storms in December and January that claimed lives and devastated our communities.

We painstakingly wrote bill language to try to address these challenges, negotiating to find compromise, sometimes successfully, sometimes not.

But as the final hours of the 131st Legislature fade and with dawn we face a new day, I want to thank you for every time that you met partisanship with patience, narrow-mindedness with a willingness to listen, and setbacks and losses with a resolve to try again.

Although no one got everything they wanted, we honored the promise of Maine in those moments - a promise that public servants from different backgrounds and beliefs from around the state will come together to do everything we can to make life better for our neighbors, for our communities, and for our state.

Thank you for keeping that promise. Thank you for your great service on behalf of the State of Maine.