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AUGUSTA – In the wake of the deaths of several young Maine children, and the subsequent criminal charging of their parents with their deaths, Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, renewed his call for reform of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Maine’s child welfare system. “My heart is broken for these poor, innocent […]

AUGUSTA – On Friday, the Government Oversight Committee (GOC) took comments from legislators and members of the public regarding the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability’s (OPEGA) evaluation report of initial child protection investigations. Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, issued the following statement in response: “After attending today’s public comment period, it’s clearer than ever that the

AUGUSTA – On Tuesday, the Maine Senate voted to enact a bill from Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, to prioritize the scheduling of child homicide trials. An amended version of LD 1857, “An Act To Prioritize the Prosecution of Child Homicide Cases,” received a unanimous vote of support. “In the two decades that I’ve been involved

AUGUSTA – On Tuesday, the Senate approved a bill from Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, to prioritize the scheduling of child homicide trials. An amended version of LD 1857, “’An Act To Prioritize the Prosecution of Child Homicide Cases,” received unanimous, bipartisan support on a roll call vote. “Last year was the deadliest year on record

AUGUSTA – On Friday, the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA) presented an evaluation report to the Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee and Health and Human Services Committee about how initial child protection investigations are conducted. Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, issued the following statement in response: “Today’s report highlighted many of the problems we’ve

AUGUSTA – On Tuesday, Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, introduced a bill to better protect Maine kids by strengthening legislative oversight of Maine’s child protection system. LD 1834, “An Act To Establish Ongoing Monitoring of Maine’s Child Protective Services,” was the subject of a public hearing before the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee. “For what

AUGUSTA – On Thursday, Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, introduced a bill to strengthen the office of the Maine Child Welfare Ombudsman by providing for additional staffing. LD 1812, “An Act To Strengthen the Child Welfare Services Ombudsman Program by Providing for Increased Staffing,” was the subject of a public hearing before the Legislature’s Health and

AUGUSTA – On Tuesday, a portion of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee voted in favor of a bill from Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham. An amended version of LD 1857, “An Act To Prioritize the Prosecution of Child Murder Cases,” would the prioritize the scheduling of homicide trials where the victim is younger than 18 years old

AUGUSTA – On Friday, Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, announced a two-day walking tour in memory of Maine children who have died from abuse. The Walk a Mile in Their Shoes tour will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 28 and Wednesday, Sept. 29, with stops in several Maine communities that have been touched by fatal child

AUGUSTA – On Thursday, the Maine Legislature enacted a bill from Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, to increase training for guardians ad litem to better protect children from domestic violence. An amended version of LD 1408, “An Act To Increase the Protection of Children from Domestic Abuse and Violence,” received a unanimous, bipartisan support in both