AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Republican Gov. Paul LePage has vetoed legislation that supporters say would help provide sufficient ID for veterans to access health care at a time when the federal government says a Maine driver’s license doesn’t pass muster.
The bill, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, would allocate $15,000 to supply U.S. passport cards to veterans seeking health care who lack the required photo identification and who can demonstrate “significant financial hardship.”
Golden, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said some veterans are receiving conflicting guidance on access to health services that could discourage them from seeking care. He said his legislation is aimed at resolving that potential problem.
But LePage said Thursday in announcing his veto that it is too narrowly focused on veterans groups.
“Though I agree with the sentiment to help veterans seeking medical care, we cannot forget all the other groups that have experienced problems due to REAL ID,” LePage said in a statement.
LePage said the federal government is insisting on enforcing strict standards, and he urged legislators to instead revise state law to conform with federal identification standards. Such a bill is making its way through the Legislature.
Maine lawmakers passed a law a decade ago that keeps Maine out of a federal program that requires state governments to use facial recognition technology and store copies of documents such as Social Security cards and birth certificates, which critics say can easily be stolen. The 2005 federal law established the tougher requirements after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Maine is now among four states that don’t comply with the requirement or have an extension on the time to comply with the federal law.
Lawmakers need a two-thirds majority to override LePage’s veto of Golden’s bill, which the lawmaker said would be worth it if it helps “even 10 veterans.”
Currently, a Maine driver’s license isn’t enough to get into certain federal buildings, though veterans with such licenses can access health care on certain military installations with a veteran’s health card or U.S. passport. About 500 veterans from southern Maine get health services at Pease Air National Guard Base. But both Republicans and Democrats say Maine veterans are having trouble accessing health clinics.
Brigadier General Douglas Farnham, who heads Maine’s National Guard, has noted that the state doesn’t have a process in place to determine a veteran’s financial hardship.
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