(The Center Square) — Maine lawmakers are sharply divided along party lines over a proposal to commemorate the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, with Republicans criticizing the Democrats of sowing division by telling a one-sided story of the events.
The legislation passed the state House of Representatives Tuesday on a 75-64 party-line vote, would designate Jan. 6 as a “day to remember” and “reflection on the values of democracy, civic responsibility and the importance of protecting constitutional governance and encouraging educational institutions.”
It would also direct the state archivist to collect first-hand accounts of lawmakers, members of the public and law enforcement officials who were at the Capitol building on the day of the rioting. Those interviews would be compiled in educational materials, according to the proposal.
The bill’s primary sponsor, state Rep. Rafael Macias, D-Topsham, called it a “simple” proposal to document the firsthand accounts of Maine’s congressional lawmakers and others who witnessed the “rebuffed coup attempt” by pro-Trump demonstrators.
“Our congressional delegation lived through a historic attack on our democracy,” Macias, a Navy veteran, said in testimony ahead of the bill’s passage. “Their voices matter. Their memories matter. And if we don’t preserve the — fully, officially, publicly — we risk letting others tell the story for us, or worse, letting the story disappear entirely.”
But Republicans opposed the measure, questioning why Democrats were bringing up the proposal now with Trump back in the White House and accused Democrats of trying to tell a one-sided story of the events.
“I am deeply troubled we are wasting time speaking about Jan. 6,” Assistant Minority Leader Katrina Smith, R-Palermo, said in remarks on the House floor Tuesday. “The people of Maine are focused on the future — trying to figure out their electric bills and how to fund their children’s education — not dwelling on the past.”
Much of the debate in the chamber focused on “the facts” about the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and whether police played any role in inciting violence among demonstrators. Democrats pointed to video and photos of police officers being assaulted by protesters, but Republicans claimed that officers were also engaged in violence that day.
House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham ultimately called on his members and the chamber’s Democratic majority to hold a vote on the bill. He suggested that continued debate over the measure was pointless.
“If there was ever truly a debate where we’re not changing a vote or convincing each other, it’s this one,” Faulkingham, R-Winter Harbor, said in remarks. “It’s just becoming mean and nasty and I would just encourage members to end this debate and take it to social media.”
The bill now moves to the state Senate, where Democrats have an even wider majority over Republicans. If approved, the bill would still need to be signed by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills to become law.
