Bill > LD1745

This bill, enacted as an emergency measure to take effect immediately, aims to stabilize residential treatment capacity for children and youth in Maine by requiring the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to notify the Legislature's joint standing committee on health and human services within two weeks of any children's residential care facility closing, providing details about the facility, its services, staff, and the transition plans for children. Additionally, the bill expands the annual report DHHS provides to the Legislature to include more specific data on children awaiting behavioral health treatment in hospital emergency rooms after being cleared for discharge, denials of services by children's residential providers, children in out-of-state placements, children staying in residential facilities for over a year, and closures of these facilities. The DHHS will also convene a stakeholder group to assess the needs of residential treatment providers and engage in outreach to prevent further closures and encourage the reopening of beds, and will submit a comprehensive report by December 3, 2025, detailing the state of children's residential beds and programs, waiting lists, homelessness among children, and updates on various treatment service implementations.

Health and Social Services

https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?LD=1745&snum=132