BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 21, 2020
A historic vote came in August when the Legislature’s judiciary panel backed three bills meant to put tribes in Maine on par with other federally recognized tribes in the U.S. by altering a 40-year-old law enshrining a historic land-claims settlement. But the coronavirus pandemic stopped the Legislature’s work and bills left were formally declared dead on Monday. The complex issue of sovereignty would be revived in what promises to be one of the more high-stakes legislative sessions in state history in early 2021. It is pockmarked by opposition from interest groups. And Gov. Mills surprised proponents by criticizing the “sweeping” nature of the original bill in February.