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AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine Gov. Paul Page is temporarily withdrawing his nomination for education commissioner amid a disagreement with lawmakers over issues related to transgender students because he says Democrats plan to reject the choice for reasons unrelated to job abilities.
LePage said in a news release Tuesday he halted Bill Beardsley's nomination after learning that Democrats plan to use the confirmation hearing as a platform to advance an "activist political agenda."
Democrats are upset that LePage has stopped the Maine Human Rights Commission and Department of Education from issuing rules protecting transgender students. LePage said the Legislature needs to take action before he can issue rules, which would have the force of law.
LePage discussed the conflict at length in the news release, saying he will not allow Beardsley to become a "political whipping boy for socialist Democrats."
Democrats say the rules protecting transgender students are required by a 2005 amendment to the Maine Human Rights Act that enshrined protection for LGBT Mainers into law. Rulemaking on the act's education provisions was delayed until the resolution of the landmark case of Nicole Maines, a transgender student who was barred from using a female bathroom.
After the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled in Maines' favor in 2013, rulemaking continued. The Department of Education and the Human Rights Commission in October delivered final rules to the governor regarding the protection of LGBT rights in Maine schools.
In his statement Tuesday, LePage said he stopped the rulemaking because the court invited the Legislature to clarify the statute for transgender students. Once the Legislature establishes a clear policy, he will move ahead with rulemaking to implement the law, he said.
Leaders of the education panel on Tuesday declined to discuss the transgender issue.
Bangor Democrat Rep. Victoria Kornfield, who co-chairs the committee, said in a statement that the committee wants a "substantive, transparent discussion" on the future of education and the interests of Maine students.
The committee's Republican co-chair, Sen. Brian Langley of Ellsworth, said in a statement that his priority is ensuring that Beardsley's qualifications are vetted and that he hopes the committee can "move forward soon."
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