Senate enacts Sen. Diamond bill to honor fallen state troopers

AUGUSTA – On Wednesday, the Senate enacted a bill sponsored by Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, to honor fallen Maine State Troopers by dedicating one mile of Maine’s secondary roadways to each trooper. An amended version of LD 537, “An Act To Dedicate Sections of Maine’s Interstate Highway System to Fallen State Troopers,” received unanimous, bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House.

“This bill presents a simple but meaningful way to honor the Maine State Troopers who make the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty,” said Sen. Diamond. “The 12 troopers we’ve lost in the past 100 years of the Maine State Police deserve to be honored and recognized in the area they served, as do any troopers we’re unfortunate enough to lose in the future.”

As amended, LD 537 will dedicate one mile of one of Maine’s secondary roadways to each of the 12 Maine State Troopers who have died in the line of duty, and to each trooper who dies in the line of duty moving forward. Dedicated roadways will be marked with memorial signs in both directions of the roadway and will be located as close as possible to the patrol area of the fallen officer. A previous version of the bill would have dedicated one mile stretches of Interstate 95. The bill was amended to be consistent with federal regulations for signage on interstates.

LD 537 now goes to the desk of Gov. Janet Mills, who has 10 days to sign the bill into law, veto it or allow it to become law without her signature.