Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.
Let me talk to you about Emma. Emma was a brave individual. She stood up for her rights. She didn't back down. And her death was in no way her fault. She was like so many people who have had a bad relationship—like many people we know.
Emma came into my life when I was District Attorney for Androscoggin County. She was a victim of domestic violence. And following her husband's indictment, he made bail, $2,000 cash, even though he had a history. Emma took shelter in Auburn to stay safe, then in Portland, then in New Hampshire.
The bail laws, you know, at that time didn't allow me to argue against bail because a person was a threat to somebody like a victim or a witness, or because the person might leave the jurisdiction.
So one day I got a call in confidence from someone to tell me that Emma's husband was going to New Hampshire the following weekend. I couldn't stop him, under the law, but I called Emma, and I warned her. She assured me she would be safe. There was no way he could know where she was.
But a few days later, Emma was found dead by the side of the road outside Concord, New Hampshire. As we grieved Emma's loss, and after I had testified in her husband's murder trial in New Hampshire and he got a life sentence, we then argued for and finally changed the bail laws in Maine. And we pushed for other changes to protect people like Emma, keep them safe.
We know that domestic violence affects everyone, of every age, every gender, every socioeconomic status. And many of us know someone—a friend, a family member, a coworker, even ourselves—who has experienced abuse. No person should feel alone or believe they are unable to get the help they need to be safe.
As Governor, I've signed significant legislation to hold perpetrators of domestic violence accountable and to secure justice for survivors. These laws include those preventing perpetrators from taking control of their victims’ finances, restricting the release of domestic abusers from county jails, extending the statute of limitations for sexual assault, strengthening protection from abuse orders, and laws protecting individuals against gun violence while at the same time preserving the due process rights of the offender.
This year, I also proposed, and the Legislature approved, making a $6 million ongoing investment in domestic violence services in order to meet a critical shortfall in the federal Victims of Crime Act, or VOCA, which jeopardized services for domestic violence and sexual assault survivors all across Maine. In addition to the ongoing VOCA funding, the budget I signed includes $2 million in one-time funds for services for domestic violence through the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence. Here's hoping the new Congress fully funds both the Victims of Crime Act funds and Violence Against Women program to help survivors stay safe.
Forty two years ago, Emma Waters was murdered by a husband with a terrible history of domestic violence. She was at the end of her rope and had nowhere to go. We failed her.
So it is in Emma's name that I've donated $25,000 from the Governor's contingent account to the Liberation Fund for emergency supplies and services for others who are in Emma's position. We will save lives.
You can help by going online to the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, mcedv.org, and contributing to the Liberation Fund. Again, we will save lives.
This is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.