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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST SPECIAL SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1266H.P. 841House of Representatives, March 25, 2025
Resolve, Directing the Attorney General to Convene a Working
Group to Propose a Plan for Expanding the Reach of Treatment
Courts
Reference to the Committee on Judiciary suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative HASENFUS of Readfield.
Cosponsored by Senator TALBOT ROSS of Cumberland and
Representatives: LEE of Auburn, MILLIKEN of Blue Hill, SINCLAIR of Bath. Page 1 - 132LR0968(01)1 That the Attorney General shall
2 establish a working group to develop a plan for expanding the availability of adult drug
3 treatment courts, family treatment courts and veterans treatment courts across the State by
4 ensuring that defendants in each prosecutorial district and county have access to these
5 specialty court dockets. As used in this resolve, "adult drug treatment courts" and "family
6 treatment courts" mean specialty court dockets that serve adult criminal defendants whose
7 involvement with the criminal justice system has been caused, at least in part, by a serious
8 substance use disorder and that allow those defendants, upon successful completion of a
9 program involving multidisciplinary supports, services and requirements, to have all or
10 most of their pending criminal charges dismissed. The Attorney General shall invite a
11 multidisciplinary group of stakeholders to participate in the working group including
12 probation and parole officers from the Department of Corrections as well as representatives
13 from the Judicial Department; the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency
14 Management; the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health;
15 the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services; the
16 Maine Commission on Public Defense Services; a statewide association of prosecutors;
17 local law enforcement agencies; organizations that provide pretrial supervision to
18 defendants under pretrial release pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 15, section
19 1026; and a statewide organization that advocates for reentry services for current and
20 formerly incarcerated individuals in the State. The Attorney General shall submit a report
21 of the working group's activities, including any recommendations and suggested legislation
22 developed by the working group, to the Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary no later
23 than January 1, 2026. The joint standing committee may report out legislation related to
24 the report to the Second Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature.
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26 This resolve requires the Attorney General to establish a working group comprised of
27 a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders to develop a plan for expanding the availability
28 of adult drug treatment courts, family treatment courts and veterans treatment courts across
29 the State by ensuring that defendants in each prosecutorial district and county have access
30 to these specialty court dockets. The Attorney General is required to submit a report,
31 including any recommendations from the working group, to the Joint Standing Committee
32 on Judiciary no later than January 1, 2026. The committee may report out legislation
33 related to the report to the Second Regular Session of the 132nd Legislature.
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