AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Legislature voted nearly unanimously on Monday against Gov. Paul LePage’s veto of a bill that extends the statute of limitations for wrongful death civil actions in homicide cases.
LD 1605 passed unanimously through the Judiciary Committee and both chambers of the Legislature after heavy lobbying and hours of public testimony by the families and loved ones of homicide victims whose cases have never been solved.
“They have advocated strongly for the bill’s passage, even though this bill will not help any of them,” said Sen. Linda Valentino, D-Saco, the bill’s sponsor. “This bill is for future families who might be in the position to have to fight for their rights.”
The bill extends the time period when a wrongful death action can be taken from two years to six years, but the Republican governor wrote in his Friday veto letter that the bill “is nothing more than pandering to grieved families.”
“While this may sound like an eminently reasonable proposal, it provides nothing to the people who have lost loved ones,” LePage wrote. “This is a hollow bill making empty promises for political gain.”
Lawmakers disagreed and acted swiftly to override the veto.
The Senate and House both voted resoundingly Monday to overturn LePage’s veto. The Senate voted unanimously, and only one House member — Rep. Phyllis Ginzler, R-Bridgton — backed the veto. It’ll now become law.
