Committee advances bill to study law-enforcement retention and officer wellness with amendments

The Bridal Justice and Public Safety Committee advanced LD 1980 with a committee amendment after a lengthy work session that clarified scope and membership for a Law Enforcement Retention Advisory Council and adjusted training and reporting requirements.

Will Tu, legislative analyst, described the amendment: add a field on electronic death certificates indicating whether the decedent previously worked as a law-enforcement officer, firefighter, public-safety dispatcher or emergency medical services person; require a post‑basic wellness training to be offered within three years of an officer's initial certification (applied to certificate holders and those with waivers); and create an advisory council with three‑year terms and a process for the commissioner to appoint additional members in consultation.

Stakeholders told the committee the body should include corrections and communications staff. Paul Gaspar of the Maine Association of Police said his organization "support[s] the amendments as written" and urged collaborative work with the academy. William Doyle of the National Correctional Employees Union asked explicitly that corrections and communications officers be represented on the advisory council. Lincoln Ryder, director of the Maine Criminal Justice Academy, said the proposed post‑basic training can be tailored to serve multiple criminal‑justice disciplines.

Representative Perkins moved 'ought to pass as amended' and the committee recorded a final vote of 10 in favor and three absent. The bill, as amended, moves to language review for final drafting.

What happens next: the committee's amendment will go to language review and the bill will be reported to the floor with the committee's recommendations.