Bill > S164

This bill establishes the Harmony Commission, a special investigative body focused on studying and making recommendations about children's welfare in care and protection legal cases. The commission will comprise a diverse group of 30+ members, including legislative committee chairs, government officials, former judges, foster care advocates, legal experts, and representatives from various child welfare and social justice organizations. Members will serve without compensation and are tasked with comprehensively examining how children's rights and best interests are currently handled in care and protection cases, with a particular emphasis on understanding how these cases disproportionately impact marginalized children, including children of color, immigrant children, children with disabilities, LGBTQ+ children, trauma survivors, and children living in poverty. The commission is required to conduct at least three public hearings in geographically diverse areas, review existing legal frameworks and policies, analyze ways to protect both children's and parents' constitutional rights, study sibling visitation rights, and submit a detailed report with findings and recommendations, including racial impact statements, to the Senate, House of Representatives, Governor, and Chief Justice of the Juvenile Court Department by January 1, 2026. The report will be publicly posted on the Department of Children and Families website, ensuring transparency and accessibility of their findings.

Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S164