AUGUSTA — On Friday, Governor Janet T. Mills joined Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, Senator Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop, and Aroostook County veterans and their families for a ceremonial bill signing at the Lister-Knowlton Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 9389 in Caribou. President Jackson invited Governor Mills and Senator Hickman, Senate Chair of the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee for a ceremonial bill signing on LD 2001, “An Act To Fund and Support the Veterans Homes in Caribou and Machias and Require Legislative Approval for the Establishment and Closure of Veterans Homes,” to celebrate with the community that played a vital role in this bill’s passage and the preservation of the Caribou facility.
“When news first broke that Maine Veterans’ Home in Caribou was slated for closure, the surrounding community immediately sprung into action, calling their lawmakers, testifying before the Maine Legislature and speaking out to save these homes. In a span of six weeks, we came together to pass a new law to keep veterans in their homes, in their communities and near their loved ones,” said President Jackson. “It’s only fitting that we celebrate this extraordinary effort with a ceremonial bill signing at the VFW in Caribou, surrounded by the people who made this victory possible. I’m grateful to Governor Mills and Senator Hickman for making the trip to Caribou and their efforts to keep the Maine Veterans’ Homes in Caribou and Machias open.”
