A group of Maine House Democrats is working to enshrine the commemoration of the January 2021 Capitol protests into law with a bill from Rep. Rafael Macias (D-Topsham), declaring a “day to remember” and educating the public about the protest.

“Eight months after January 6 I was on crutches when I met Representative Chellie Pingree [D-Maine] outside the Capitol in D.C. I asked her what her pain level she felt on January 6. She said an eight. Then I asked what she felt that day standing there in front of me about January 6, she said still an eight,” said Rep. Macias during a public hearing in the Committee on State and Local Government on Monday.

“Our congressional delegation lived through an historic attack on our democracy. Their voices matter, their memories matter, and if we don’t preserve them fully officially publicly, we risk letting others tell the story for us, or worse letting the story disappear entirely,” he added.

During his testimony, Macias never mentioned Air Force veteran Ashli Babbit, the only person who lost their life on Jan. 6, 2021. She was unarmed when she was shot by Capitol Police Officer Michael Byrd.

The bill, LD 702, drew co-sponsorships from five Democrats. It would designate January 6 annually as “A Day to Remember” and would require the governor to issue a statement “honoring the resilience of democracy.” The proclamation would also urge Mainers to use the day to contemplate the importance of democracy and constitutional government.

Educational institutions, libraries, and civic organizations would be encouraged to hold events commemorating January 6.

The bill also instructs the State Archivist and the Maine Historical Society to collect testimony from Mainers, including the state’s congressional delegation, who were present during the protest. The records and testimonies would then be added to the Maine State Archives.

The archivist will collaborate with schools to create educational material based on the testimonies. The bill also requires the archivist to submit annual reports to the legislature detailing the collection of testimonies and any educational initiatives.

While January 6 has long been a favorite talking point of left-wing politicians at all levels of government, the bill’s public hearing did not receive a single testimony in favor of it, either in person or as written testimony.

The only Mainer who testified on the bill in person, Deputy Secretary of State Emily Cook, spoke neither for nor against the bill, supporting its purpose but raising concerns about whether the State Archive is the most appropriate entity to undertake the collection of testimonies.

“Documenting this history is an important endeavor that will be vital to future generations. We aren’t sure, however, that the Maine State Archive is the appropriate entity to compile this history. Rather than creating new records, the Maine State Archives preserves and provides access to our state’s government’s archival records,” said Deputy Secretary of State Emily Cook.

The written testimonies were even less favorable, with one Mainer testifying neither for nor against it, and three others opposing it entirely.

“It was a day of to be learned from and forgotten, not eulogized by people who want to shame the people expressing their belief that their election had been stolen by bad actors. And it had been! The ‘adults in the room’ need to move on. We have much more important things to attend to right here in Maine,” said Diane Vernesoni of Topsham.

“This bill is nothing more than partisan virtue signaling,” said Danny Emerson of South Berwick.