Because of the 1980 Settlement Act, tribes in Maine must be specifically written into federal laws passed to benefit Indian Country. No other tribes in the country have this burden, and correcting this injustice was one of twenty-two consensus recommendations from the 2019 Maine Indian Claims Task Force. LD 2004 would have allowed Wabanaki Nations to access laws retroactively and prospectively passed by Congress to benefit Indian Country by requiring that the tribes in Maine be specifically written out of federal legislation rather than written in. LD 2004 would have only pertained to tribal lands in Maine to minimize the risk of future litigation, and would have carved out specific federal laws like the Clean Water Act. The bill passed with two-thirds support in both chambers but was vetoed by Governor Mills.

The veto override vote is scored in the House. Because it failed there, no veto override vote was taken in the Senate. The enactment vote is scored in the Senate.