The Maine Legislature’s Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted down a bill that would have compelled Maine not to cooperate with law enforcement from states that have banned gender-affirming care who are investigating people who have sought such treatment here. 

LD 1735, a bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Laurie Osher of Orono, was a top priority for transgender rights advocates this session and it was backed by several groups, including the Maine Nurse Practitioner Association, the Maine Psychological Association, and the National Association of Social Workers.  

Republican lawmakers fiercely opposed the bill. They held a press conference on Thursday before the committee vote. 

Speaking last May when she introduced the legislation, Osher said that “at its heart, LD 1735 is about protecting the wellbeing and medical privacy of young people and their families.” Osher, the leader of the Legislature’s LGBTQ Equality Caucus, also said at last May’s public hearing that right now, “While other states are actively criminalizing safe, medically necessary healthcare, the stakes are higher than ever.”

For LGBTQ rights groups, Osher’s bill would have expanded on progress made last year in the Maine Legislature to secure rights for trans youth. Lawmakers passed a law allowing access to gender-affirming care without parental consent or notification for 16- and 17-year-olds. This is similar to Maine laws regarding abortion access or contraception for minors.

With Osher’s bill, Maine would have joined 12 other states that have enacted legal protections for gender-affirming care providers. 

“We’ve received an alarming number of requests from families from states like Florida, Georgla, Idaho, and Kentucky looking for somewhere safe to bring their children. These families are terrified about being split up,” Quinn Gormley, executive director of MaineTransNet, said in a public hearing last year.

Gormley added, “This bill is an opportunity for Maine to lead again. It’s our chance to send a clear message that hate isn’t welcome here.”

The Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Anne Carney and Rep. Matt Moonen, both Democrats, unanimously voted across party lines to reject the legislation. Democrats, who had initially backed the bill, stated on Thursday that it included unnecessary language for the purpose of safeguarding transgender healthcare in Maine, leading to their decision to oppose it.