Maine Senate adopts Holocaust-era recognition and multiple awareness resolutions, confirms several nominations and rejects campaign finance measure

The Maine Senate on March 17, 2025, adopted a joint resolution recognizing the Holodomor as an act of genocide and approved multiple joint resolutions designating March and May awareness observances, confirmed several nominations to state boards and commissions, and passed a package of bills to be enacted. In a contested roll call the Senate accepted a majority committee recommendation not to advance a proposed campaign-finance measure by a 19-16 vote.

The Holodomor resolution—formally describing the 1932–33 famine in Ukraine and citing the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide—was presented and moved for adoption and subsequently adopted in concurrence, joining Maine with other states that have recognized the famine as genocide. The chamber also adopted a joint resolution recognizing March 2025 as Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month and another designating May 4–10, 2025, as Tardive Dyskinesia Awareness Week; a separate joint resolution honored the role of Irish immigrants and Irish Americans in the American War of Independence.

Those measures were presented by members of the Senate and moved for adoption by voice vote or unanimous consent. For example, Senator Grahowski moved the Holodomor resolution; Senator Garen moved the Bleeding Disorders resolution; and Senator Stewart moved the Irish-heritage resolution. The Senate adopted the various joint resolutions and expressions of legislative sentiment and sent them down for concurrence.

The chamber confirmed a series of nominees reported by standing committees. The transcript records committee recommendation votes for several nominations in which the roll-call totals printed in the record were “0” in favor and “35” in opposition (yeas/nays as announced in the transcript); the presiding officer announced…