Gov. Janet Mills on Wednesday vetoed a bill that would have changed a right-to-repair law enacted by voters in 2023, while allowing dozens of other bills to go into effect without her signature.

Sixty-one bills were awaiting action from the governor when lawmakers returned to Augusta this week. Since Mills did not sign any of the bills within 10 days of approval, her only options were to veto them or allow them to become law without her signature.

The vast majority survived Mills’ veto pen.

“I appreciate the hard work of the Legislature to send a considerable number of bills to my desk, which required review and deliberation in advance of the upcoming session,” Mills said in a written statement. “These decisions reflect careful consideration of each bill. I look forward to continuing to work with the Legislature in this next session, my last as governor, on legislation to benefit our state into the future.” 

Seven of those 61 bills were recalled by lawmakers, who may offer changes before sending them back to the governor.

Mills has not yet announced her position on one measure, which would allow tribes in Maine to offer online casino games in addition to their exclusive rights to online sports betting. However, members of her administration, including her gambling director and head of the state Center for Disease Control and Prevention, have opposed it.

The remaining 52 bills became law without her signature. They included one to limit the ability of state and local law enforcement to help federal immigration authorities investigate, detain and search individuals solely for immigration purposes.

Mills announced her decision to allow that bill to become law in a Press Herald Op-ed last month, saying President Donald Trump has “weaponized” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in his second term.

Another bill requiring homemade and 3D-printed firearms to have serial numbers will also become law without Mills’ signature. That bill takes aim at so-called ghost guns, similar to the one used in the killing of a health care executive in New York City in December 2024.

Because of another measure Mills allowed to become law, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection will soon have the authority to create a statewide take-back program of any unwanted forever chemical mixtures used to create firefighting foam. But the bill was enacted with only $500 in funding, falling far short of the $5 million requested.

The bill, from Rep. Dan Ankeles, D-Brunswick, was one of several that arose in response to the spill in an airport hangar at Brunswick Landing in 2024, when 1,450 gallons of aqueous film-forming foam concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons of water and the toxic brew overflowed into the surrounding area. At the time, it was the sixth largest firefighting foam spill in the country’s history.

“Providing formal authorization to get rid of (foam) is a big step forward,” Ankeles said. “I fully intend to submit legislation to make sure that the authorization is backed by an appropriate level of funding.”

Mills vetoed only one bill, which would have changed the right-to-repair law enacted by statewide referendum in 2023. It allows small automotive repair shops to access computer diagnostic information. That information is crucial for repairing modern, technology-loaded automobiles.

Mills said she vetoed the bill because it would allow automobile manufacturers to determine how data would be accessed by independent repair shops. That “controversial provision,” she said, was not among the unanimous recommendations made by a working group.

Mills said that she heard from hundreds of independent repair shops asking her to veto the bill.

“I am sympathetic to their concerns,” Mills said in her veto message. “With this provision included, LD 1228 would undermine the existing law overwhelmingly approved by the Maine voters and harm independent repair shops across the state.”

Mills urged lawmakers to send her a new bill without the provision.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents auto manufacturers, said in a written statement they were disappointed with the veto. The group noted that the referendum requires the state to establish a process to transfer data to the government, which it still hasn’t done.

“The government hasn’t done its part, which makes it impossible for automakers to comply with the law,” the groups said.

Staff Writer Penelope Overton contributed to this story.