A bill to designate January 6th as a Day to Remember is moving ahead after passage in the Maine House following a fiery debate.
Republicans said it was divisive and one-sided, while Democrats said it was necessary to document what happened during the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Heated and contentious debate continued until House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham urged members to vote and move on to other business.
“It’s just becoming mean and nasty, and I would just encourage members to end this debate and take it to social media. Take it outside. Take it wherever you need to take it. But we’re not convincing each other in here.”
The bill passed 74-65 on party lines under the Democratic majority.
The measure is titled “A Day to Remember and to Preserve the Accounts of Witnesses to the Events of January 6, 2021.”
It directs the State Archivist to collect accounts from the State’s congressional delegation and others connected to the events of January 6, and to create educational materials based on those accounts.
The bill’s passage was a “first read” and will need another vote in the House before moving to the Senate and have any chance of reaching Governor Janet Mills for her signature.
