An Act To Amend the Laws Regarding Health and Human Services
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 0393
Committee Amendment CA_A_H907 (House)
Amends: 22 MRSA §4066

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" t, to H.P. 277, L.D. 393, "An Act To Amend the 
Laws Regarding Health and Human Services" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act To Improve the Child Welfare System' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §4066, sub-§2-A is enacted to read: 
2-A. Contingency fund expenditures, A summaiy of expenditures from the Child 
Protective Services Contingency Fund established in section 4004, subsection 1, paragraph 
D, including annual spending, purposes for expenditures and ranges of expenditures for 
families; 
Sec. 2. Department of Health and Human Services to prioritize and ensure 
supportive services. The Department of Health and Human Services shall study the 
ability of the State to allow a parent whose minor child was removed from the home but 
who is engaged in rehabilitation and reunification services to continue to receive services 
for which the parent was eligible before the child was removed from custody and to receive 
priority for services for which there is a waiting list and that are critical to allowing families 
to transition out of the child welfare system. As part of this study, the department shall 
examine the following: 
1. The extent to which a parent may continue to receive services, including but not 
limited to transportation, child care, housing assistance and home visiting services, at the 
same level for which the parent was eligible before the child was removed from custody 
urider relevant federal and state laws; and 
2. The extent to which families, including both children and parents, can be prioritized 
for services that have waiting lists, including but not limited to housing vouchers, 
behavioral health services and substance use disorder treatment, that are necessary for 
allowing families to transition out of the child welfare system. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
C 
~o~ 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT'~ to H.P. 277, L.D. 393 
The Department of Health and Human Services shall submit a report with its findings 
and recommendations, including any recommended legislation, to the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters 
no later than February 1, 2023. The joint standing committee is authorized to report out 
legislation to the First Regular Session of the 131 st Legislature. 
Sec. 3. 
Department of Health and Human Services, special projects 
manager to prevent child abuse and neglect. The Commissioner of Health and 
Human Services shall establish within the Department of Health and Human Services a 
special projects manager position for the prevention of child abuse and neglect. The special 
projects manager shall: 
1. 
Coordinate the organization of efforts within the department and across state 
agencies to prevent and reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect; 
2. Lead the development, implementation and oversight of a comprehensive statewide 
child abuse and neglect prevention plan; 
3. 
Support the coordination of resources and activities across state agencies to 
strengthen and support f?milies and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect; 
4. Work with community-based organizations to coordinate initiatives, programs and 
activities that prevent child abuse and neglect and foster understanding, appreciation and 
knowledge of diverse populations across state agencies and in the community in order to 
effectively prevent and address child abuse and neglect across diverse racial, economic and 
geographic populations; and 
5. Engage with multiple stakeholders, including state agency leaders; the Director of 
the Office of Child and Family Services, the Director of the Maine Center for Disease 
Control and Prevention and the associate director of child welfare within the Department 
of Health and Human Services; child • welfare district managers and caseworkers; 
community service providers; parents and kinship and resource families; and youth. 
The Commissioner of Health and Human Services shall assign to the special projects 
manager additional duties and assignments based on the development and progression of 
the cross-agency statewide prevention plan and priorities of the commissioner related to 
the prevention of child abuse and neglect. 
Sec. 4. 
Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF 
Department of Health and Human Services Central Operations 0142 
Initiative: Provides funding for one Social Services Manager I position to coordinate the 
organization of child abuse and neglect prevention initi~tives across the department. 
GENERAL FUND 
2021-22 
2022-23 
POSITIONS - LEGISLATIVE COUNT 
0.000 
1.000 
Personal Services 
$0 
$121,700 
All Other 
$0 
$6,537 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
$0 
$128,237 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
2-.os 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 'ff''to H.P. 277, L.D. 393 
IV-E Foster Care/Adoption Assistance 0137 
Initiative: Provides funding for additional services under the homebuilders program in the 
Office of Child and Family Services. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
Office of Child and Family Services - Central 0307 
2021-22 
$0 
$0 
2022-23 
$1,000,000 
$1,000,000 
Initiative: Provides funding for additional services under the parents as teachers program 
operated through the home visiting program in the Office of Child and Family Services. 
GENERAL FUND 
2021-22 
2022-23 
All Other 
$0 
$1,000,000 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
$0 
Office of Child and Family Services - Central 0307 
Initiative: Provides funding to increase the contract for kinship navigators, 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
Office of Child and Family Services - Central 0307 
2021-22 
$0 
$0 
$1,000,000 
2022-23 
$420,000 
$420,000 
Initiative: Provides funding for temporaty assistance to families through the Child 
Protective Services Contingency Fund, 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, 
DEPARTMENT OF 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
GENERAL FUND 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL-ALL FUNDS 
2021-22 
$0 
$0 
2021-22 
$0 
$0 
2022-23 
$200,000 
$200,000 
2022-23 
$2,748,237 
$2,748,237 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section 
number to read consecutively, 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "f' to H.P. 277, L.D. 393 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, replaces the bill, which 
is a concept draft. The amendment does the following. 
1. It provides $1,000,000 each year for the homebuilders program and $1,000,000 each 
year for the parents as teachers program operated through the home visiting program of the 
Department of Health and Human Services. 
2. It provides $420,000 a year to increase the contract the department has for so-called 
kinship navigators. 
3. It requires the department to study the ability of the State to allow a parent whose 
minor child was removed from the home but who is engaged in rehabilitation and 
reunification services to continue to receive services for which the parent was eligible 
before the child was removed from custody and to receive priority for services for which 
there is a waiting list and that are critical to allowing families to transition out of the child 
welfare system. The department is directed to submit a report to the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters 
no later than February 1, 2023. 
4. 
It provides $200,000 funding in each year to the Child Protective Services 
Contingency Fund established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 4004, 
subsection 1, paragraph D. It requires the annual report that is currently required pursuant 
to Title 22, section 4066 to include a summary of expenditures from the contingency fund. 
5. It directs the Commissioner of Health and Human Services to establish a special 
projects manager position within the department to coordinate the organization of child 
abus~ and neglect prevention initiatives across the department. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 03/19/22 feac.. 
LD393 
LR 1800(02) 
. An Act To Amend the Laws Regarding Health and Human Services 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment I/off q O '1) 
Committee: Health and Human Services 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2021-22 
FY2022-23 
$0 
$2,748,237 
$0 
$2,748,237 
Projections 
FY 2023-24 
$2,752,876 
$2,752,876 
Projections 
FY2024-25 
$2,757,775 
$2,757,775 
This bill includes General Fund appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services of $2,748,237 
beginning in fiscal year 2022-23 for one Social Services Manager I position to coordinate the organization of child 
abuse and neglect prevention initiatives across the department, for additional services under the homebuilders 
• program, for additional services under the parents as teachers program, to increase the contract for kinship navigators 
and for temporary assistance to families through the child protective services contingency fund. 
LR1800(02) - Fiscal Not.e - Page 1 of 1