Republican leadership votes to kill Millett bill seeking school threat data

AUGUSTA —On Tuesday, Republican leadership voted in Legislative Council to kill an after-deadline bill request from Sen. Rebecca Millett, D-Cape Elizabeth, seeking data on threats or incidents related to firearms in schools.

LR 2944, “An Act To Require the Department of Education To Report to the Legislature Annually Incidents Involving Firearms in Schools and To Make This Information Available to the Public Online” would require the Department of Education to report annually to Legislature on any incidents regarding weapons or threats in Maine school. The bill would also stipulate that this information be widely available to the public.

“To say I am disappointed by the outcome of this vote would be an understatement. If we cannot agree on the need for basic school safety data then how are we supposed to ever come together on and create meaningful changes to keep our kids safe,” said Sen. Millett. “Children and families across the state saw what happened in Parkland and they are looking to us as state lawmakers to demonstrate some leadership. Today, we let them down.”

Maine already requires the Department of Education to annually report data regarding bomb threats to the Legislature. Sen. Millett’s bill sought to do the same for threats concerning firearms.

Bills submitted for consideration during the Second Regular Session must be approved by a majority of the 10-member Legislative Council. The Council is comprised of the five top Democrats and five Republicans in the House and Senate, meaning bipartisan support is required for any bill to be accepted.

Sen. Millett remains committed to working with the Department of Education and the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee to make this information publicly available to the Legislature and Maine families.

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