Westbrook, MAINE - Maine Democratic Party Chairman Phil Bartlett issued the following statement today in response to the State House successfully overriding a veto by Republican Governor Paul LePage of a bill that would increase the long-term availability of the life-saving, anti-overdose drug naloxone. The bipartisan legislation had earned unanimous support in the Legislature prior the Governor’s veto.

“We are grateful to the Maine House, under Speaker Gideon’s leadership, for coming together to see that the governor’s inexplicable veto of this bill was successfully overturned. In order to address this epidemic, we need to work together - and that’s exactly what the entire Legislature did on this bill.”

“While the Legislature did the right thing today, the fact that they even had to go through this process is just another painful reminder that the biggest impediment to tackling Maine’s opioid crisis is Paul LePage.”

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