Sen. Rotundo bill to fund accessible trauma recovery services passes legislative committee
AUGUSTA — On May 7, Sen. Peggy Rotundo, D-Lewiston, introduced legislation that would provide funding to the Maine Resiliency Center (MRC) in Lewiston, enabling the organization to continue providing low-barrier trauma recovery services to those who were affected by the mass shooting of October 25, 2023. The bill, LD 1425, “An Act to Improve Access to Sustainable and Low-barrier Trauma Recovery Services,” was presented during a public hearing to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services, and on May 15, received a unanimous Ought to Pass as Amended vote by the Committee.
“The MRC is extremely important to our community,” said Sen. Rotundo. “The Center has been critical to the healing process of the families of the victims and the survivors of the October 25 mass shooting. This funding is crucial to ensuring the Center can continue to provide the therapy, support and sense of community to those who need it the most.”
LD 1425 would provide one time funding in fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27 to the Maine Resiliency Center to support the continuation and expansion of services for Mainers who are affected by the immediate and cumulative effects of trauma.
A number of the community members who had been affected by the events of October 25 delivered emotional testimony in favor of the bill during the public hearing on May 7.
During the public hearing, it was revealed that the federal government had been withholding nearly $8 million that was promised to the MRC by the previous administration as a reimbursement for the services the Center and State had provided to victims since the shooting. The day after the public hearing for LD 1425 and the ensuing media coverage of the withheld payment, the federal government released the grant funding to the State. Sen. Rotundo’s bill will enable the MRC to continue and expand their services to trauma survivors in the Lewiston-Auburn area and throughout the State of Maine.
The bill will now face votes in the Maine Senate and House of Representatives.
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