APPROVED CHAPTER
JUNE 20, 2025 98
BY GOVERNOR RESOLVES
STATE OF MAINE
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IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
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H.P. 841 - L.D. 1266
Resolve, Directing the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of
Behavioral Health to Convene a Working Group to Propose a Plan for
Expanding the Reach of Treatment Courts
Sec. 1. Adult treatment courts. Resolved: That the Department of Health and
Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health shall establish a working group to develop a
plan for expanding the availability of adult drug treatment courts, family treatment courts
and veterans treatment courts across the State by ensuring that defendants in each
prosecutorial district and county have access to these specialty court dockets. As used in
this resolve, "adult drug treatment courts" and "family treatment courts" mean specialty
court dockets that serve adult criminal defendants whose involvement with the criminal
justice system has been caused, at least in part, by a serious substance use disorder and that
allow those defendants, upon successful completion of a program involving
multidisciplinary supports, services and requirements, to have all or most of their pending
criminal charges dismissed. The Office of Behavioral Health shall invite a
multidisciplinary group of stakeholders to participate in the working group, including
probation and parole officers from the Department of Corrections, as well as
representatives from the Judicial Department; the Department of Defense, Veterans and
Emergency Management; the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child
and Family Services; the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services; a statewide
association of prosecutors; a statewide association of criminal defense attorneys; local law
enforcement agencies; organizations that provide pretrial supervision to defendants under
pretrial release pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 15, section 1026; and a
statewide organization that advocates for reentry services for current and formerly
incarcerated individuals in the State. The Department of Health and Human Services,
Office of Behavioral Health shall submit a report of the working group's activities,
including any recommendations for expanding the scope and geographic location of
treatment courts and suggested legislation developed by the working group, to the Joint
Standing Committee on Judiciary no later than January 1, 2026. The joint standing
committee may report out legislation related to the report to the Second Regular Session of
the 132nd Legislature.
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