Did Gov. Janet Mills veto a bill to protect tribal land from the state? | Fact brief

In June, Maine Gov. Janet Mills vetoed a bill that would have barred the state from taking tribal lands through eminent domain.

In her veto letter, Mills argued the bill, LD 958, would create a “permanent and irrevocable change to current law” that could hamper future infrastructure and public-use projects. She also noted that “current law already imposes strict limits on the State’s ability to take any Tribal lands for public uses.”

The Legislature tried but failed to override her veto.

Mills has a contentious history with Maine’s Indigenous Wabanaki Nations. In 2024, the governor pulled two of her nominees to the Maine Indian Tribal-State Commission, a state board that works to build relations with the tribes. Indigenous leaders objected to the nominees, saying they had a history of opposing tribal sovereignty efforts.

Four of the commission’s six state-appointed seats remained vacant as of late August, leaving the group barely able to function.