AUGUSTA – A bill calling for the divestment of state funds in companies doing business in Sudan faces a second Senate vote as early as today after winning an initial endorsement last week.

Sen. Ethan Strimling said passage of his bill, LD 1758, will help the people of Sudan’s Darfur region because the Sudanese government is using its revenue to attack and kill Christians and non-Muslims in Sudan. Strimling, D-Portland, said the ruling regime in Sudan is responsible for the deaths of 400,000 of its people and the displacement of more than 2 million.

The bill, which also faces House votes, is supported by Gov. John Baldacci, who described it as “a principled and humane action repudiating the atrocities occurring in Sudan.” Baldacci said he hopes to see the bill on his desk soon.

“Maine is home to many people who once lived in that region but have had to flee in fear for their lives,” Baldacci said. “What’s happening in Sudan is not just a story of people in a far distant land, it is about our neighbors.”

The legislation up for another Senate vote says the divestment requirement applies to all companies doing business in or with Sudan or its instrumentalities. It requires divestment by Jan. 1, 2008.

Eighteen other states have introduced or passed similar legislation, according to Rep. Deborah Simpson, D-Auburn, a co-sponsor of the bill.