Over 123,000 Mainers Face Unnecessary Barriers After the Governor's Veto of LD 1911 is Sustained

Augusta, ME — Lawmakers failed to override Gov. Janet Mills' veto of LD 1911, legislation intended to streamline Maine's record sealing process. As a result, an estimated 123,000 Mainers will continue to face barriers to opportunities long after being held accountable for a past mistake. The veto comes despite the bill passing the Maine Senate and House with bipartisan support with votes of 20-12 and 81-65, respectively. 

Gov. Mills’ letter explaining the veto raises three concerns, all of which are based on misunderstandings of the proposal. A clerical error omitted a subset of records that should have been ineligible for automated sealing. The bill sponsors were aware of that and committed to correcting the problem before the law went into effect in 2028.

Additionally, with 13 states and Washington D.C. having enacted similar legislation, the legal concern cited in the veto letter is misapplied to Clean Slate. Lastly, automated record sealing reduces the need for manual review of records. Lawmakers worked with stakeholders to ensure court system upgrades could be completed before the process started.

During the veto session, lawmakers gave speeches expressing strong support for LD 1911:

Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross, the lead Senate sponsor of LD 1911: “‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ [This quote is] not meant to suggest progress is automatic, or inevitable. The Reverend Dr. King used this phrase to emphasize the opposite: the arc bends toward justice because people push it through activism, sacrifice, and collective effort. Without that pressure, history can stall, or even move backward. We’ve put a tremendous amount of work into [LD 1911], and into the concept of automatic sealing of records after years of study. … LD 1911 took into consideration many different stakeholders to create a law that would lift that continuing burden for low-level offenses in someone’s past, and would provide much-needed relief for over 123,000 of our fellow Mainers, and their families and loved ones.”

Sen. Carney: “I would urge people to focus on the underlying purpose of the bill, which is to help Mainers get housing, and jobs, and support their families when they have served their time and have been free of any interaction with the criminal justice system for 5 or more years.” 

Sen. Lawrence: “Our country is founded on the principle of redemption. People came here for second chances. … A simple thing like a misdemeanor conviction should not drag people down.”

Senator Bennett: “We need to focus on public safety, and this is a public safety bill. Public safety will be enhanced by overriding the Governor’s ill-informed veto of this matter. If you look at the evidence in the states that have passed a similar bill, it actually keeps people from creating more harm — to themselves, and to others.”

After Gov. Mills’ veto of LD 1911 was sustained, advocates and lawmakers released the following statements:

Ryan Ewing, Campaign Strategist at The Clean Slate Initiative, who worked closely on the bill in Maine

“I’m incredibly thankful for our coalition’s hard work in getting LD 1911 so close to the finish line. I strongly disagree with Gov. Mills’ unfair characterization of the bill, which was constructed with public safety in mind, strengthened through a broad stakeholder process, and further sharpened by the legislature. Despite this result, I have no doubt that the legislature will move a Clean Slate bill in the 133rd session that finally ensures Mainers who have been held accountable for a past mistake can earn a meaningful second chance.”

Tess Parks, Policy Director Maine Recovery Action Project

“Governor Mills’ veto reflects a frustrating contradiction: our state invests millions each year to help people survive the addiction crisis, but stops short of removing the barriers that make it harder to build a stable life in recovery. Across Maine, we consistently hear that past records make it harder to access stable jobs and safe housing. If we truly believe recovery is possible, we have to clear the path for people to rebuild their lives. ME-RAP is proud to stand with the coalition of advocates, legal experts, community leaders, and Mainers in recovery who shaped this bill through their lived experience. We’re ready for the work ahead to ensure policies exist that give people who have done the work a real chance to move forward.” 

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About The Clean Slate Initiative

The Clean Slate Initiative (CSI) is a national, bipartisan nonprofit organization that works to pass and implement automated record sealing legislation at the state and federal levels. More information about The Clean Slate Initiative is available at cleanslateinitiative.org.

Media Contact: Morgan Kelly, CSI, press@cleanslateinitiative.org