Gov. Janet Mills has begun issuing vetoes of bills that passed this session, including one that would have prohibited the state from taking tribal lands through eminent domain.

In her veto message last Friday, Mills said state law already has restrictions on seizing tribal land through eminent domain, including a provision that requires substitute land be provided so tribes don’t experience a loss. She warned that if the law was later determined to be flawed lawmakers would not be able to amend it without the approval of the four tribal nations.

“The Legislature should know that this bill would permanently deny the state the ability to take even small portions of Tribal Lands abutting public rights of way for uses like road and bridge projects no matter what circumstance may arise many years into the future,” Mills said.

The tribal bill was among five vetoes the governor issued as of Monday afternoon, with more likely coming this week. Other vetoes include a bill that would have increased workplace protections for farmworkers who discuss working conditions and wages, and another that would have clarified when someone accused of a crime is entitled to legal representation at the state’s expense.

Mills has until June 30 to issues vetoes or allow any bills passed on June 18 to become law. A veto can be overturned with two-thirds vote of the Legislature.

The governor also continues to sign bills into law, including the $320 million budget change package that was narrowly approved by the Democratic-led House and Senate last week. Mills said in a written statement Monday that she didn’t agree with all the changes made by lawmakers and cited the importance of showing “fiscal restraint” amid uncertainty at the federal level.

“The budget bill enacted by the Legislature, like all lawmaking, is the product of various tradeoffs and compromises,” she said. “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.”

VETOES

The veto of the tribal land bill resurfaces an issue that has frustrated advocates and members of her own party, who have been pushing for the state to restore full sovereignty for tribes in Maine, which are treated more like municipalities than sovereign nations, because of an agreement to settle the tribes’ claims to two-thirds of the state.

Mills has opposed sweeping bills to restore sovereignty and instead pursued targeted bills to address specific issues. Her letter noted how her approach has produced “excellent results,” which she detailed. They include giving tribes exclusive access to online sports betting, tax reforms, banning tribal mascots and increasing the jurisdiction of tribal courts.

“Against this backdrop, it is a mystery to me why this bill was introduced,” Mills said. “LD 958 is a solution in search of a problem, and yet it could have serious unintended consequences years from now that are impossible to know today.”

It was one of several tribal bills supported by lawmakers this session. Mills has not yet taken a position on another bill that would grant tribes exclusive access to online table games, such as poker, blackjack and roulette. That bill is awaiting a final vote in the Senate.

Mills also vetoed LD 1802, a bill sponsored by Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, that would have clarified when someone accused of a crime is entitled to legal representation at the state’s expense. The bill was passed unanimously in both chambers, though no roll calls were recorded.

In her veto letter, Mills said the bill would have added a right to state-funded counsel beyond the Maine Constitution’s requirement that legal services be provided in cases where the accused is at risk of incarceration. She noted that Maine is unable to represent those who are currently entitled to receive legal representation from the state.

“I cannot support creating a new statutory right to counsel when the state continues to struggle to meet even its minimum constitutional obligation,” Mills said. “This bill will negatively impact the state’s ability to appoint attorneys in the cases where counsel is constitutionally required and impede efforts to eliminate the backlog in criminal cases.”

She vetoed LD 588, a bill sponsored by Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, that would have increased protections for farmworkers who discuss working conditions and pay. Opponents argued that bill protecting “concerted activity” would be a step toward allowing farmworkers to unionize.

Mills noted that the bill, which did not pass with enough support to overcome the governor’s veto, is identical to one she vetoed in the previous Legislature, adding that “because the bill is unchanged, so too is my veto letter.”

Mills, who signed a separate bill ensuring that farmhands are paid at least the state minimum wage, said that farmers are already facing serious challenges, ranging from climate change to forever chemicals contaminating their soil to inflation. She said the bill would add new regulatory burdens on farmers, most of which are small, family-run operations.

The governor’s other vetoes were of LD 1328, a bill from Rep. Laurie Osher, D-Orono, to create “culturally appropriate and trauma-informed” housing and recovery services; and LD 1731, a bill from Sen. Nicole Grohoski, D-Ellsworth, regarding the Maine State Ferry Service Advisory Board.

BUDGET SUPPORT

Mills signed the budget bill even though it included new spending and taxes beyond what she proposed.

In fact, lawmakers restored some funding for things she wanted to cut, including planned cost-of-living increases for direct care workers and stipends for child care workers. They also rejected the governor’s proposal to make her free community college program permanent, instead providing only enough funding for one more class of high school graduates.

The budget was passed without any support from Republicans, who are in the minority in each chamber and said for months that they would not support any budget that included tax increases.

Democrats used their majorities to pass an $11.3 billion continuing services budget in March and passed $320 million in additional spending last week.

The spending plan advanced last week includes a range of tax increases, the largest of which was increasing the cigarette tax by a $1.50 a pack to $3.50. The plan generates $177 million in additional revenue through higher taxes and fees, including increases to hunting and fishing licenses and taxes on streaming services, such as Netflix, Hulu and Spotify.

Increasing the cigarette tax was applauded by public health groups and panned not only by Republicans, but some progressive Democrats, six of whom initially voted against the bill in the House of Representatives, before five changed their votes and supported it in the end.

Lawmakers are not done spending yet. Nearly 300 bills have been passed by lawmakers and are awaiting funding before being sent to Mills.

As of June 18, 292 bills totaling more than $287 million in additional spending in fiscal 2026 and more than $2.1 billion in fiscal 2027 had been placed on the special appropriations table.

But there is little funding available, with only about $5 million in additional funding remaining.

Lawmakers are expected to return to Augusta in the coming days to decide which bills to advance.