AUGUSTA, Maine — Several bills have advanced in the Maine Legislature to extend support to families and invest at least $2.6 million into child protection programs following a recent increase in child deaths in the state.
The four bills endorsed Monday would establish a pilot program to provide legal representation to families involved in child safety investigations. The bills also would increase supervision over child protection services, the Portland Press Herald reported.
Supporters of the bill, like sponsor Rep. Ned Claxton of Auburn, said that the oversight bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services to report its progress enforcing reforms to the Government Oversight Committee "to hold them accountable.”
The reforms result from a report from DHHS that found 25 children died last year, the highest number since the reporting began in 2007. It excluded at least four homicide deaths that are still under criminal investigation.
All of the bills will face a vote in the House and Senate in the coming weeks, the newspaper reported.
