On Dec. 6, Governor Janet Mills signed two bills into law: LD 1209, An Act To Require Legislative Hearings on Citizen-initiated Legislation, sponsored by Representative Bradstreet of Vassalboro and Senator Jeff Timberlake of Androscoggin; and LD 329, An Act To Exempt from Criminal Liability Persons Reporting a Drug-related Medical Emergency, sponsored by Representative Barbara Cardone of Bangor and passed unanimously by the Legislature.

Maine now joins 40 other states and the District of Columbia in enacting some form of a Good Samaritan or 911 drug immunity law.

“As Maine continues to grapple with the opioid epidemic, arresting and prosecuting someone at their most desperate moment when their friend or family member is experiencing a medical emergency will not solve the problem. In fact, it discourages people from calling for help,” said Governor Mills, in a news release. “By signing this legislation, we take another step toward ensuring people seek help to survive an overdose and can pursue life-saving treatment for substance use disorder. I thank Representative Cardone for bringing forward this legislation and securing overwhelming bipartisan support in the Legislature for its passage.”

LD 329 prevents a person who, in good faith, seeks medical assistance for a person experiencing a drug-related overdose or who is themselves experiencing a drug-related overdose and is need of medical assistance from being arrested or prosecuted for a violation of laws prohibiting the possession of scheduled drugs, acquiring drugs by deception, the possession of hypodermic apparatuses and the use of drug paraphernalia or a violation of probation, if the grounds for arrest or prosecution are obtained as a result of the person’s seeking medical assistance or experiencing a drug-related overdose.

LD 1209, An Act To Require Legislative Hearings on Citizen-initiated Legislation, requires that a petition for the direct initiative of legislation, once it has been certified by the Secretary of State, be submitted for consideration by the Legislature to receive a public hearing before a joint standing committee of the Legislature or a special legislative committee established by the Legislative Council. The public hearing must be conducted in the same manner as other public hearings.

“Good public policy is best achieved through robust discussion and debate,” said Mills. “By signing this legislation into law, we are strengthening the referendum process and ensuring that the people of Maine have access to critical information through the public hearing process so they can make informed decisions on the questions before them. I thank Representative Bradstreet and Senator Timberlake for bringing this legislation forward and for securing strong bipartisan support in the Legislature.”