An Act To Establish a Maternal and Infant Death Review Panel
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1420
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: PINGREE, MARTIN, SHIELDS, MAYO, MITCHELL
Amends: 22 MRSA §4004

Legislative Document 
No. 1420 
H.P.984 
House of Representatives, March 22, 2005 
An Act To Establish a Maternal and Infant Death Review Panel 
Submitted by the Department of Health and Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative PINGREE of North Haven. 
Cosponsored by Senator MARTIN of Aroostook and 
If/~ 
1h.7!!~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representati ves: MILLETT of Waterford, SHIELDS of Auburn, Senators: MAYO of 
Sagadahoc, MITCHELL of Kennebec. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §4004, sub-§I, as amended by PL 2001, c. 11, 
§4, is further amended to read: 
1. 
General. 
The department may take appropriate action, 
consistent with available funding, that will help prevent child 
abuse and neglect and achieve the goals of section 4003 
and 
subchapter XI-A II-A, including: 
A. 
Developing and providing services wnien that: 
(1) 
Support and reinforce parental care of children; 
(2) 
Supplement that care; and 
(3) 
When necessary, substitute for parental care of 
children; 
B. 
Encouraging 
the 
voluntary 
use 
of 
these 
and 
other 
services by families and children who may need them; 
C. 
Cooperating 
and 
coordinating 
with 
other 
agencies, 
facilities or persons providing related services to families 
and children; 
D. 
Establishing and maintaining a Child Protective Services 
Contingency Fund to provide temporary assistance to families 
to help them provide proper care for their children; aRe 
E. 
Establishing a 
child death and serious injury review 
panel 
for 
reviewing 
deaths 
and 
serious 
injuries 
to 
children. 
The panel consists of the following members: the 
Chief Medical 
Examiner, 
a 
pediatrician, 
a 
public health 
nurse, forensic q.nd community mental health clinicians, law 
enforcement 
officers, 
departmental 
child 
welfare 
staff, 
district attorneys and criminal or civil assistant attorneys 
general. 
The purpose of the panel is to recommend to state and local 
agencies methods of improving the child protection system, 
including modifications of statutes, 
rules, 
policies 
and 
proceduresT~ 
F. 
Establishing 
a 
technical 
review 
panel 
to 
conduct 
comprehensive, 
multidisciplinary 
reviews 
of 
maternal 
and 
infant deaths in this State, for the purpose of identifying 
the 
factors 
associated 
with 
the 
deaths 
and 
making 
recommendations for system changes to improve services for 
women with infants in the State. 
Members 
of the panel 
Page l-LR0612(1) 
consist of a cross-section of medical, health and social 
service 
professionals, 
as 
well 
as 
families, 
community 
representatives and others with an interest in maternal and 
child health. 
Composition of the review panel is to be 
specified in rules pursuant to this section. 
Rules adopted 
pursuant to this section are routine technical rules 
as 
defined 
in Title 
5, 
chapter 
375, 
subchapter 
2-A. 
The 
Director of the Bureau of Health appoints panel members. 
The panel will periodically issue recommendations based on 
case findings. 
SUMMARY 
This 
bill directs 
the 
Department 
of 
Health 
and 
Human 
Services 
to 
establish 
a 
multidisciplinary 
panel 
to 
review 
maternal and infant death cases in this State. 
This panel, in 
accordance with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, 
chapter 
1071, subchapter II-A, provides the panel with authority to gain 
access to relevant data including medical, public health, social 
service and mental health records and ensures that proceedings 
and records in the possession of the panel remain confidential 
and exempt 
from subpoena and legal discovery. 
The bill also 
permits the panel to contact families of the deceased to request 
additional information and offer grief support resources.