PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 28, 2022
Amid an ongoing push to loosen constraints placed on Maine’s tribal nations as part of a historic land claims settlement deal 42 years ago, legislators held hearings Monday on two smaller bills that would alter the tribes’ access to additional lands in the state. One bill, L.D. 1907, proposes to create a commission to develop a process to return or increase access to state-owned lands considered sacred or otherwise significant to individual tribes. Gov. Janet Mills opposes the bill, saying it duplicates efforts already underway. The judiciary committee Monday also heard testimony on L.D. 1665 to change which areas would be eligible for acquisition by the tribes, although they would still be limited to 150,000 acres. The tribes oppose the bill.