An Act to Stabilize
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1745
Committee Amendment CA_A_H674 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A» to H.P. 1163, L.D. 1745, "An Act to Stabilize 
Residential Treatment Capacity for Children and Youth in Maine" 
Amend the bill by inserting after the title and before the enacting clause the following: 
'Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and ' 
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Whereas, this legislation must take effect immediately to ensure that the dat_a 
collection required for reporting from the Department of Health and Human Services 
begins as soon as possible and prior to 90 days after adjournment; and 
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore,' 
Amend the bill by inserting after section 1 the following: 
'Sec. 2. 34-B l\1RSA §15003, sub-§9, as amended by PL 2021, c. 191, §1, is further 
amended to read: 
9. Reports. The department shall report by January 1st of each year to the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services 
matters on the following matters: 
A. The operation of the program, including numbers of children and families served 
and their residences by county; any waiting lists; the progress of the department in 
implementing improvement strategies; and appeals procedures requested, held and 
decided, including the results of decided appeals; 
B. Initiatives in acquiring and using federal grant funding; 
C. Barriers to improved delivery of care to children and their families and the progress 
of the department in overcoming those barriers; arui 
Pagel -132LR1763(02) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 'A" to H.P. 1163, L.D. 1745 
D. The number of children served by crisis providers and the number of children who 
waited for the appropriate level of behavioral health treatment in a hospital emergency 
room after being cleared for discharge, along with the length of stay. and denials for 
services by providers of children's residential services during the preceding year. The 
department shall make a reasonable effort to obtain information from providers, 
including implementing a standardized system for the reporting of data. Data collected 
pursuant to this paragraph must protect the confidentiality of all persons involved to 
the same extent as otherwise required by state or federal law or rule-:-.;. 
E. The number of children in a hospital emergency department who have arrived in 
the hospital emergency department directly from a residential setting. including, but 
not limited to, a children's home as defined in Title 22, section 8101, subsection 1: a 
children's residential care facility as defined in Title 22, section 8101, subsection 4: or 
another hospital: 
F. The number of children receiving services in out-of-state placements and the total 
cost to the State of the out-of-state placements, including travel for the children and 
their families: 
G. The number of children receiving services in children's residential care facilities as 
defined in Title 22, section 8101, subsection 4 with a length of stay that is longer than 
one year: and 
H. The number of closures of children's residential care facilities as defined in Title 
22, section 8101, subsection 4 as reported by the department to the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services 
matters pursuant to Title 22, section 8111.' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 3, 4 and 5 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 3. Stabilizing and expanding child and youth residential capacity. The 
Department of Health and Human Services shall engage in outreach to providers of 
residential services, inpatient psychiatric services and community-based services in this 
State to counsel those providers on resource needs to prevent additional closures and 
encourage the reopening of beds for child and youth residential treatment. 
Sec. 4. Children's behavioral health services data and policy report. The 
Department of Health and Human Services shall develop and submit a report, no later than 
December 3, 2025, to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services that 
includes data and policy efforts as follows: 
1. A gap analysis that describes all of the children's residential beds and programs 
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added since 2018 and removed since 2018; 
2. Current information on waiting lists for children's programs, including the average 
and median wait time to access approved services; 
3. The number of children who are experiencing homelessness; 
4. An update on efforts to implement a so-called high fidelity wraparound service for 
children; 
5. 
An update on the implementation of multidimensional treatment foster care 
services; 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1163, L.D. 1745 
6. An update on efforts to support existing home and community treatment services, 
assertive community treatment services and school-based treatment services programs; 
7. An update on the development of the level of care provided by a psychiatric 
residential treatment facility for children in this State; 
8, An update on the federal certified community behavioral health clinic Medicaid 
demonstration program; 
9. An update on the development of crisis receiving centers for children; and 
10. An update on the services that are needed and unavailable, causing children to 
remain in hospital emergency departments and inpatient settings awaiting behavioral health 
services after they are cleared for discharge.' 
Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation 
takes effect when approved.' 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section 
number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment malces several changes to the bill. 
1. It removes from the bill the sections requiring an out-of-state and emergency 
department cost analysis, changes to the aftercare services payment model and one-time 
funding to stabilize children's residential care facilities in danger of closing. 
2. It adds requirements to the annual report on children's behavioral health services 
from the Department of Health and Human Services related to children in hospital 
emergency departments after they are cleared for discharge, out-of-state residential services 
and the cost of those services, lengths of stays in residential treatment facilities and denials 
of services. 
3. It requires the department to engage in outreach to providers of children's residential 
services, inpatient psychiatric services and community-based services to prevent closures 
and encourage the reopening of beds. 
4. It requires the department to provide a report to the Joint Standing Committee on 
Health and Human Services, no later than December 3, 2025, with data and policy efforts 
related to children's behavioral health services. 
5. It adds an emergency preamble and emergency clause. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 06/06/25 LRL 
LD 1745 
LR 1763(02) 
An Act to Stabilize Residentia1 Treatment Capacity for Children and Youth in Maine 
Fiscal Note for Bil~ as Amended by Committee Amendment/{ LH.,.....-~ 7 4) 
Committee: Health and Human Services 
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Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Any additional costs to the Depa1tment of Health and Human Services from the provisions of this bill are expected to 
be minor and can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
LRl 763(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1