This bill is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary to implement recommendations of the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services. The committee has not taken a position on the substance of this bill. By reporting this bill out, the committee is not suggesting and does not intend to suggest that it agrees or disagrees with any aspect of this bill; instead, the committee is reporting the bill out for the sole purpose of having a bill printed that can be referred to the committee for an appropriate public hearing and subsequent processing in the normal course. The committee is taking this action to ensure clarity and transparency in the legislative review of the proposals contained in the bill. The bill amends the definition of "indigent legal services" to include services that an attorney performs at the direction of the commission and makes technical amendments to the definitions of "employed counsel" and "public defender." It also provides that training materials prepared or obtained by the commission in connection with providing or preparing to provide training and evaluation programs for attorneys who are or may seek to become assigned counsel, employed counsel, public defenders or contract counsel are confidential, even if those materials are disseminated, for example at a commission-offered training, in the furtherance of the commission's duties. Finally, the bill provides that a court must, on request, disclose otherwise confidential records associated with child protection actions to the commission for purposes of assigning, evaluating or supervising counsel.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text LD 1801, SP 700: 4.1802, 4.1804, 22.4007
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 415: 4.1802, 4.1804, 22.4007