CARIBOU, Maine — Gov. Janet Mills was joined by Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Aroostook, in Caribou on Friday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Last week, Mills signed into law a bill that will keep the Maine Veterans' Homes in Caribou and Machias open. Jackson, a representative of Aroostook County, sponsored the bill.
Mills and Jackson sealed the deal with a ceremonial signing of the bill. They were joined by dozens of people, including Aroostook County veterans, family members of veterans who live at a Maine Veterans' Home, members of the Caribou City Council, Cary Medical Center CEO Kris Doody, and members of the Cary Medical Center Board of Directors.
The bill received unanimous support in the Maine Legislature. Mills proposed $3.5 million in her supplemental budget to support it.
The shutdowns of both homes were announced in late February. Since then, many Maine lawmakers have worked to do whatever they could to make sure that wouldn't happen.
Mills said the law doesn't just support the homes in Caribou and Machias; it will protect all Maine Veterans' Homes locations across the state.
"This bill also provides for long-term planning. It's not just a stopgap measure, not just a law that says you can't discontinue unless you have a public hearing and go through the legislature ... but a long-term plan, strategic plan, to keep these homes vibrant, alive, vital parts of their communities," Mills said.
Following the signing at the VFW, Mills and Jackson visited the Maine Veterans' Homes location in Caribou to meet with the veterans and spouses living there.