Bill to expand Maine’s Good Samaritan law sent to governor

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - The Maine Senate has given final approval to a bill to expand a law that shields people who report drug overdoses.

But the governor immediately asked lawmakers to take it back for revisions, under threat of veto. Supporters said the so-called Good Samaritan law needed to be expanded as the state grapples with an epidemic of fatal overdoses.

The original law grants immunity to a person who overdoses and to the person who dials 911.

The expanded bill would provide immunity to everyone at the scene. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, a former prosecutor, said the bill was too broad but said there’s room for compromise.