From farmworker wage bill to raising taxes on wealthy, legislators sustain Gov. Mills’ vetoes

Lawmakers on Friday sustained six vetoes by Gov. Janet Mills, failing to override her objections to a bill that would have granted farmworkers minimum wage rights, a measure seeking to tighten gun restrictions, and several other proposals. 

Mills, a Democrat, vetoed eight bills passed by legislators this session, several of which drew pointed rebukes from members of her own party. Coming into Friday’s vote, the Legislature had already sustained the governor’s vetoes of two of those bills: a measure to further limit noncompete clauses in Maine and a bill to lessen the penalty for minor theft charges for someone who has had multiple theft convictions. 

Lawmakers voted on the other six measures Friday. Those included the farmworker minimum wage bill, a proposal to give farmworkers the right to discuss wages and engage in other concerted activity, and legislation that would have required firearms used in a crime to be destroyed and banned devices that make semi-automatic weapons operate like machine guns.

In addition, the Legislature took override votes on a bill to add new tax brackets and increase tax rates for wealthier Mainers, a measure meant to ensure clean energy projects on state land aren’t disrupted by labor disputes, and a proposal to treat leachate at Juniper Ridge landfill in a way that ensures PFAS levels don’t exceed established drinking water standards.

Two-thirds of lawmakers present in both the House and Senate must vote in favor of a bill to override a veto — a bar none of the bills considered Friday cleared. Mills has vetoed 49 bills during her time in office and has never had one of those decisions overturned by the Legislature. 

While some Democrats backed Mills’ vetoes of certain bills, the governor received much of the support needed to sustain her vetoes from Republicans.  

Before most of the veto override votes, there was little to no debate. However, some legislators did speak about the farmworker minimum wage bill.

Rep. Gary Drinkwater (R-Milford) said Republicans were willing to support the bill but wanted to carve out seasonal workers from the state minimum wage. He said Democrats appeared unwilling to compromise. Rep. Amy Roeder (D-Bangor) said Democrats on the Labor and Housing Committee, which she co-chairs, made efforts to find common ground but were ultimately unsuccessful. 

“There was compromise, there was work, there was negotiation, there was a lot of good faith negotiation in our committee,” she said. “Even though we couldn’t come to consensus, I think it’s appropriate to thank the members of my committee for acting in such good faith.” 

The House vote on the farmworker minimum wage bill was 54 in favor of overriding the governor and 69 in favor of sustaining the veto. After the vote, the Maine Center for Economy Policy criticized the decision to uphold the veto (along with the failure to override the veto of the farmworker concerted activity bill). 

“The legislature has reaffirmed farmworkers’ second-class status in Maine’s economy,” said Arthur Phillips, policy analyst at MECEP, adding that the state has “yet again failed to take the most basic steps toward economic and racial justice for farmworkers, leaving our state with a less sustainable agricultural sector. These workers deserve far better.”

MECEP also knocked the failure to override Mills’ veto of the bill that would have increased tax rates for wealthier Mainers. 

“While LD 1231 was not a perfect bill, by upholding the governor’s veto the Legislature has missed an opportunity to make Maine’s tax code more progressive by asking more of those who have the most,” said Maura Pillsbury, a policy analyst for the group. 

However, Maine Policy Institute CEO Matthew Gagnon praised the Legislature’s upholding of the veto. 

“This bill would have made our tax code even less competitive nationally and further exacerbated the tax disparity between Maine and New Hampshire,” he said.  

On the clean energy labor measure, bill sponsor Sen. Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot) said he was “deeply disappointed” by Mills’ veto, noting the importance of creating an industry with jobs that allow people to support their families and stay in Maine.

Tipping said he will continue to work toward that goal, regardless of the governor’s veto and the Senate’s failure to overturn her decision. The chamber ultimately voted 21-13 to override the veto, but that fell short of the two-thirds margin needed. 

On the landfill bill, Rep. Mike Soboleski (R-Phillips) said he took issue with the measure because it sought to change the terms of Juniper Ridge operator Casella’s contract with the state before the expiration of that deal. He said doing so would send a bad message to other businesses that Maine has contracts with. 

Mills’ veto of that bill was ultimately sustained. 

Maine Morning Star reporter AnnMarie Hilton contributed reporting to this story.