Maine Republicans Push for Alternative to ‘Red Flag’ Ballot Initiative

The proposal was unveiled Tuesday morning at a news conference hosted by Maine House Republicans. It would establish two new crisis receiving centers offering services to people undergoing a mental health crisis and provide funding for five community behavioral health clinics.

The proposal also would require school resource officers to undergo training every two years on extreme risk protection orders which can be used to temporarily remove a person’s firearms, and would prohibit a court from issuing an order denying a person the right to purchase or possess a dangerous weapon except in certain circumstances, including the issuance of an extreme risk protection order. 

And it would create a grant fund to support the extreme risk protection order process and address the underlying mental health issues that prompt the orders to be issued. 

“This competing measure strengthens our yellow flag law,” said Rep. Jennifer Poirier, R-Skowhegan, who is leading the effort to get the measure on the November ballot as an alternative to the red flag initiative that has already qualified.

… Lawmakers have three options when receiving a qualified citizens initiative: Enact it without changes, send it to voters, or send it to voters with a competing measure. It’s rare, however, for lawmakers to add competing measures — the last time that occurred was in 2003, according to legislative records.