Sen. Anne Carney named American Academy of Pediatrics, Maine Chapter Legislator of the Year

AUGUSTA – On March 28, Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, accepted the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (Maine AAP) 2025 Legislator of the Year award. This honor recognizes legislative leadership to make Maine a healthier and safer place for children.

“The advocates at Maine AAP are tireless in their commitment to building a world where the next generation can grow and thrive. That same urge – to leave Maine a better place for our children – is what brought me to the Legislature, and it’s what keeps me coming back through challenging times,” said Sen. Carney. “There has been no shortage of challenges but, so too, no shortage of meaningful progress. I am deeply grateful to receive this honor, and I look forward to all the work to come to protect children’s health and safety.”

As Senate co-chair of the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Carney played a leading role in protecting transgender youth and advancing gun safety measures in 2025. The Legislature defeated a slate of bills seeking to restrict the rights of transgender Mainers, including efforts to undo confidentiality protections for patients and providers of gender-affirming care; limit what school facilities, names and pronouns students can use; remove gender identity as a protected class under the Maine Human Rights Act; and revoke 16- and 17-year-olds’ right to seek limited gender-affirming medical care.

Sen. Carney also fought for gun safety as the Legislature considered many proposals to roll back protections enacted in response to the Lewiston mass shooting in October 2023. 2025 saw the defeat of various efforts to expand concealed carry, including one proposal allowing certain individuals to carry a concealed firearm in schools. The Legislature also rejected a “Stand Your Ground” law that sought to provide more protection for those who use deadly force and passed a law to prohibit untraceable firearms by requiring serial numbers on homemade “ghost” guns.

Sen. Carney’s work to protect Maine children continues in the final days of the 132nd Legislative Session. She is standing up against proposed bills to repeal the red flag law and the 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases. Recognizing minors’ unique vulnerability to addictive algorithms, negative mental health impacts and online exploitation, Sen. Carney is also leading work to protect children in the digital world. She is advocating for comprehensive data privacy protections that would prohibit the sale of minors’ data and ban its use for targeting advertising, as well as for a prohibition on the dissemination of AI-generated child sexual abuse materials. These bills await final votes in the Legislature.

Sen. Anne Carney accepts the Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 Legislator of the Year award.

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