Gov. Janet Mills won't sign two bills dealing with "ghost guns" and an expansion of online gambling, opting instead to hold the bills until lawmakers return potentially next year.
The governor's office on Tuesday released a list of roughly 60 bills that passed the Legislature late last month but that Mills won't take any action on until state lawmakers reconvene. Mills was prohibited from vetoing the bills because lawmakers adjourned the 2025 session but could still put her veto pen to work when they return.
One bill, LD 1126, would ban “ghost guns,” which are typically handmade or 3D printed guns that often do not have serial numbers. Supporters argue the measure is necessary to crack down on untraceable guns that are sometimes used in crimes. But opponents say the law is unnecessary and would infringe on gun owners' rights.
Ghost guns are also a hot-button policy and legal issue at the federal level.
Another measure that Mills is holding would allow the Wabanaki Nations to offer online gambling.
The Passamaquoddy Tribe, the Penobscot Nation, Mi'kmaq Nation and Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians already have exclusive access to offer online sports betting in Maine. But this latest bill, LD 1164, would allow the tribes to contract with vendors to offer casino-style games, like poker and blackjack, through mobile apps or websites.
Supporters said the measure is a way to spur additional economic opportunity for the tribal nations while generating tax revenues for the state by regulating an activity that some Mainers already engage in illegally. Opponents, however, argued that making internet gaming, or "iGaming," available will inevitably lead to more gambling addiction. The operators of the two bricks-and-mortar casinos in Maine, Hollywood Casino in Bangor and Oxford Casino, also opposed giving the tribes exclusive access to the sector.
The Mills administration testified against the bill in committee.
The governor's office had previously said that Mills also planned to delay any action on another controversial bill, which would have limited how much state and local police can cooperate with federal agents on immigration enforcement.
“The Legislature passed a significant number of bills at the end of session, and the governor takes seriously her constitutional obligation to thoroughly review all of them and to evaluate their implications on Maine people, Maine businesses, and the Maine economy," Mills' office said in a statement. "In order to meet that responsibility, she will continue to review these bills and gather more information, and she looks forward to acting on them at the beginning of the next legislative session.”
Mills still could veto any of the held bills or allow them to become law without her signature. But those options won't be available to her until lawmakers meet for at least three days.
