Committee backs proposal to decouple Maine's definition of child neglect with poverty
Maine lawmakers are suggesteing the state move forward with a proposal to update the state's definition of child abuse and neglect that legal experts have argued is easy to conflate with poverty.
The Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee held a work session for two bills looking to amend the statutory definitions to better identify the children at risk of harm and prevent families from interacting with the child welfare system due to their financial situation.
'It does a simple thing, but the consequences are enormous,' said committee co-chair Sen. Henry Ingwersen (D-York) of LD 1406, which was backed unanimously by the committee members present Friday.
They did not endorse a similar bill, LD 891, because the language was duplicative but described as 'heavy' compared to the other bill.
Both bills sought out to clarify that a scenario rises to neglect if a child's needs are willfully withheld. The idea is supported by former foster parents, child welfare advocates and legal organizations; however, some preferred LD 891 because they felt the proposed changes went further to address the issue.
Maine's definition of neglect is 'easy to conflate with poverty'
Rep. Michele Meyer (D-Eliot), who sponsored LD 1406, said her bill was born out of advisory groups that included state agencies, child welfare advocates and other entities dedicated to keeping Maine children safe that looked into the state's mandated reporting laws and how they affect families. The language in her proposal is modeled after the language Kentucky used to update its definition.
Even if the claims are unsubstantiated, Meyer said it is still traumatic for families to be reported to child protective services. Additionally, having to weed through reports of parents who can't financially provide certain needs can mean less time for caseworkers to address situations where children face serious harm.
At the public hearing for these bills, Bobbi Johnson, the director of the Office of Child and Family Services, testified in support of LD 1406, saying it is part of a broader effort to support families in need rather than getting them tangled up in the system.
However, she said the child welfare agency is opposed to LD 891 because it inserts certain language that isn't currently defined in statute and would limit the agency's ability to intervene in certain accidental situations, even if they are connected to a larger concern about the child's care.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hoosier elections must remain free and fair
Will Indiana follow Texas' lead in redistricting mid-decade? (Getty Images) Vice President J.D. Vance recently visited Indiana to meet with Gov. Mike Braun and Republican leaders. They discussed a plan to redraw the state's congressional districts this year, mid-decade, in order to gain one or both of the seats currently held by Indiana Democrats and rig the 2026 mid-terms so Republicans can preserve their very slim House majority. We are scholars and teachers of U.S. law and politics. And we are deeply troubled by the Trump administration's attempt to rewrite the electoral rules mid-stream to maximize its power, and by Indiana Republicans' failure to immediately reject such a transparently partisan move, which would corrupt the fairness of our elections. Whatever our party affiliation, all Hoosiers should care about fairness. We would never support changing the rules in the middle of a basketball game so that our team would gain unfair advantage. We want winners to win fair and square. In sports, and in politics. Such corruption is possible because the process whereby Congressional districts are created is localized and susceptible to being rigged by those bent on gaining an unfair partisan advantage. According to the U.S. Constitution, Congress allocates seats in the House of Representatives to states based on population. A census must be taken within every ten years to determine how population shifts may change the number of Congressional districts allocated to each state — a process called reapportionment. The actual shape of Congressional districts in each state is determined by state legislation. Indiana's House GOP congressional contingent lines up behind redistricting effort In 1964, the Supreme Court ruled that Congressional districts must be of roughly equal population and honor the principle of 'one person, one vote.' Since then, Congressional redistricting has almost always been done on the ten-year cycle, except when federal courts have required certain states to redraw their maps to bring them into compliance with federal election law. But now Texas Republicans are trying to redraw their Congressional map mid-decade. The reason why: because President Trump has very publicly called upon them to do this, telling CNBC's Squawk Box: 'We have an opportunity in Texas to pick up five seats. We have a really good governor, and we have good people in Texas. And I won Texas . . . and we are entitled to five more seats.' It should be obvious that Trump's vote total in the 2024 presidential election confers no GOP entitlement to extra House seats, which are not allocated based on presidential popularity (indeed, while Trump only received 56% of the 2024 Presidential vote, the Texas GOP controls 66% of the state's House seats). If the party wants five more seats in Texas or two more in Indiana, then the correct way to obtain them is to run strong candidates in districts currently held by Democrats, and win the elections in those districts, fair and square. The administration's push for Texas, Indiana, and other 'red' states to redistrict now has one very clear purpose: to change the electoral map, midstream, so that Trump and his party can retain control of the entire federal government by giving more power to voters they like while taking electoral power away from voters they don't like. And that is simply not fair. Hoosier citizens, and not statehouse Republicans, should choose who they want to represent them in their congressional districts in 2026 and 2028 and 2030. And they can freely choose only if the elections are fair. Any party that tries to try to change district boundaries in advance of an election just so they have a better chance of winning the election is doing something that has a simple name: cheating. Basketball coach John Wooden, a legendary Hoosier, famously taught his players to 'never lie, never cheat, never steal.' Indiana Republicans should heed coach Wooden's famous words, politely refuse to do the bidding of the Trump administration, and stand tall, with their Democratic counterparts, and all patriotic Hoosiers, in defense of the fairness of our elections.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
They came to Sacramento for Christian rally. Then they heard about Newsom's redistricting
For some of the Republican voters who oppose the partisan redistricting plan moving swiftly through the California Capitol this week, it felt like a divine appointment. They arrived in Sacramento on Tuesday — thousands of them, by the busload, from Visalia and Riverside and beyond — for an entirely different mission. Pastor Jack Hibbs, the extremely online leader of the Calvary Chapel Chino Hills megachurch, had called his followers to the Capitol to rally against a bill that would expand who can serve as a child's caregiver when their parents are detained by immigration authorities. It just so happened, however, that the Legislature also scheduled two hearings that morning to advance Gov. Gavin Newsom's controversial proposal asking voters to set aside the state's independent redistricting commission and approve new congressional lines more favorable to Democrats. And as word spread among the flock, dozens of them crowded the halls outside the committee rooms, frustrated and weary conservatives lining up for their precious seconds to publicly denounce another indignity thrust upon them by California's liberal leaders. 'They've been getting away with things for too long,' said Judy Escobedo, a 64-year-old retired teacher from Visalia, as she exited the Assembly hearing where she told legislators that their 'childish' effort to override the redistricting commission made her want to move back to Texas. 'We voted for that because we want to choose our politicians. We don't want our politicians to choose their voters.' Testifying against the redistricting plan was 'topping on the cake' for Escobedo, who came for the Hibbs rally with her sisters. 'Somebody has to do something,' she said, 'and I figured it should be me.' Despite heated opposition and even legal threats from California Republicans, who could lose more than half their remaining seats in Congress, the Democratic supermajority in the Legislature is poised to approve the plan by the end of this week. Newsom would then call a special election for Nov. 4, when voters would have the final say on the new map. A handful of supporters, most of them affiliated with organized labor, showed up at the hearings to speak in favor of what they argue is a necessary step to prevent President Donald Trump from rigging the outcome of the 2026 midterms. Trump is pressuring Republican-led states across the country to undertake an unusual mid-decade redistricting to shore up the narrow GOP majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. 'We are in a moment where we have to respond to an existential threat,' state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, a Riverside Democrat, said during the Senate hearing. 'Do you expect Californians to unilaterally disarm ourselves when the Trump Republicans are wielding their control of state governments like weapons against democracy?' But they were far outnumbered by the serendipitous throng of opponents, many of whom walked right off their chartered buses and into the line for public testimony. Republicans feel 'unrepresented' Some were resigned that they would not halt what has appeared to be an increasing inevitability in recent weeks. Newsom has rallied public support through appearances with Democratic legislators who fled Texas to block a similar gerrymandering effort there. 'I'm not changing these people's minds,' said David Bolog, a 55-year-old maintenance worker with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Since the coronavirus pandemic, he has been traveling to the Capitol weekly as a 'citizen lobbyist' for right-leaning groups like Moms For Liberty. 'We already feel very unrepresented,' Bolog said. He was among a sparse crowd outside the Senate hearing earlier in the morning. 'Even though you know it's not going to stop it, you still have to say no.' Behind him, Maria Carrillo entertained her children, ages 7 and 5. They left Riverside at 1 a.m. to make the drive to Sacramento for the Hibbs rally. Carrillo, a 36-year-old homeschool teacher, planned to turn their visit to the Capitol into a field trip for her children as well. Like many Californians, Carrillo, who wore a shirt calling to keep men out of girls' sports, said she had become politically active during the pandemic fights over shutdowns and mandatory vaccines. She wanted Democratic leaders to hear from some of the millions of Trump voters, like her, who supported the president's agenda and would be disenfranchised by the new congressional lines. 'What I hope is they do listen to the real people who live in these communities and are affected by these policies,' she said. Rep. Kevin Kiley voters show up A contingent from the El Dorado County GOP huddled in a corner, monitoring the hearing but hesitant to testify against a plan they felt certain would be ramrodded through. 'We all know this is a farce anyway,' said Todd White of El Dorado Hills, the club's chair. 'A redistricting war doesn't benefit anybody,' said Doug Williams of South Lake Tahoe, the club's vice chair. He said California was chasing Texas ''to the bottom of the barrel.' The Democrats' map moves El Dorado County from a sprawling rural district along the eastern border of California — represented by Rep. Kevin Kiley, a Rocklin Republican — to a new seat that stretches out from the more liberal Sacramento suburbs. Williams feared that the issues facing his mountainous community, such as wildfire preparedness and the declining availability of home insurance, would be overlooked. 'This is only designed to benefit one person and that's Gavin Newsom,' White said, alluding to expectations that Newsom will soon launch a campaign for president. White complained that the governor was using taxpayer money to run a special election and 'he's made it all about himself.' 'Why isn't he doing his job?' club treasurer Heather Masten said. After some deliberation, she stepped into the hearing to deliver a brief comment in opposition. Then the group wandered over to the Assembly hearing to do it all over again. 'We'll be here all day,' White said, 'just getting oppressed by the majority party.' This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Newsom redistricting plan fires up group attending Christian rally
Politico
3 hours ago
- Politico
Fix the City's next act is Mamdani-esque
New York Minute: Gov. Kathy Hochul FaceTimed with Democratic Texas state lawmakers Tuesday evening ahead of the contentious mid-decade redistricting vote, which is expected to bolster Republicans in five Lone Star State House districts. 'We know this is not about red versus blue, it's about right versus wrong,' Hochul told the lawmakers, according to audio obtained by Playbook. 'You are the leaders in this and history is going to look back on you favorably.' Hochul hosted Texas Democrats who bolted from the state to delay the vote. They returned Monday, giving the Legislature a quorum. Hochul is pushing for ways to change New York's redistricting process to build on Democratic advantages; any changes won't happen in time for the 2026 elections. — Nick Reisman FIXING FIX: The behemoth pro-Andrew Cuomo PAC that spent millions futilely vilifying Zohran Mamdani in the mayoral primary now wants to be more like him — though only when it comes to emulating his organizing prowess. Fix the City is launching MainStream, a new group that aims to 'protect our city from extremism' by 'building a growing force of volunteers' and plans to host an introductory Zoom call tonight, according to invitations obtained by Playbook. 'Mamdani's primary win was fueled by an army of 40,000 volunteers. Thankfully, there are far more of us — those who reject extremism, socialism, antisemitism and the politics of division — than them,' reads an intake form that lists volunteer opportunities like voter registration drives and 'social media activist.' The anti-Mamdani effort is ramping up as the democratic socialist victor of the Democratic primary looks to the November general election with a healthy polling lead over Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams — both running as independents — and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Fix the City — funded primarily by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman and DoorDash — spent more than $22 million in its effort to thwart Mamdani in June. Despite failing in that effort, it's still bringing in big money for the general election. Its contributions this month include $100,000 from Walmart scion and philanthropist Alice L. Walton, according to public filings and as reported by Crain's New York. Its revamped website touts a mission to provide 'voters with the tools they need to make their voices heard — not just in this election cycle, but in the years to come,' noting that the PAC believes the best choice for mayor remains Cuomo. 'This is a wake-up call for what I would characterize as regular Democrats: If you want to have a say in your government, you're going to have to get organized and you're going to have to convince voters to show up at the polls,' Steven M. Cohen, chair of Fix the City, who served as Cuomo's secretary when he was governor, said in an interview with Playbook. The work of getting out the vote in elections — including door-knocking, pamphleting and voter registration — has been a forte for the political left, including the Democratic Socialists of America and the Working Families Party. Fix the City via MainStream seeks to lay the foundation for an organizing operation that could boost more moderate Democrats for other offices and in other election cycles, Cohen said. 'I don't want to lose sight of the November election. But also, I think there are a whole lot of people who belong in Congress, belong in Albany, belong in the statehouse,' Cohen said, 'And I worry if we don't mount an effective response to what was a very well-organized and … a very well-financed operation, we're going to be on the outside looking in.' Mamdani defeated Cuomo in June by nearly 13 points, but the relative newcomer is still struggling to get his party to coalesce behind him before November. Mamdani has yet to be endorsed by party leaders including Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Mamdani has sought to position Cuomo as Trump's choice for president as the rivals duke it out in the coming months. Cuomo recently told prospective donors in the Hamptons that Trump could tell Republicans to back him for mayor if they want Mamdani stopped, POLITICO reported. Mamdani, a Queens state assemblymember, has a new super PAC in his corner, the Daily News reported, and his anti-billionaire message of the primary is carrying through to the general. 'Andrew Cuomo and his Republican billionaire donors are about to learn that a competitive ground game can't be bought,' Mamdani campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec said in a statement responding to Fix the City's new campaign to turn out votes. 'Zohran already defeated millions in special interest money in the primary, and he'll do it again — because New Yorkers are ready to fight for a city they can actually afford.' — Emily Ngo IT'S WEDNESDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman. WHERE'S KATHY? In Syracuse, making an announcement at the Great New York State Fair and likely visiting the Wizard of Oz-themed butter cow sculpture. WHERE'S ERIC? Opening a campaign office in Harlem. QUOTE OF THE DAY: 'In a choice between NYU and Columbia losing tax exemption and giving Trump a raised middle finger, Mamdani chose the latter.' — Retired Baruch College professor Doug Muzzio on the candidate backing away from his pitch to make the private colleges pay taxes, after Trump started attacking Columbia and other universities, via POLITICO. ABOVE THE FOLD 'SANCTUARY' DEMS STAND GROUND: Attorney General Pam Bondi targeted more than 30 'sanctuary' jurisdictions with letters last week demanding they drop their policies limiting cooperation between federal immigration agents and local law enforcement. 'This ends now,' Bondi wrote. Actually, it doesn't, several of the Democratic-led cities, counties and states wrote back Tuesday. The tenor and approach of the responses obtained by Playbook varied across the country and New York but the underlying message was the same: They denied that their policies 'thwart federal immigration enforcement.' Hochul responded with a three-page letter to Bondi as Trump implements his deportation agenda and spurns Democrat-led parts of the country for purportedly protecting undocumented immigrants. 'I recognize that you disagree with New York's view of what the constitution requires of states, and the legality of New York State law and policy, and now — contrary to the positions you took as Florida Attorney General — believe states are merely vassals of the federal government,' Hochul wrote. 'These disputes are rightly before the courts for resolution.' Rochester via its corporation counsel Patrick Beath said that Bondi shouldn't be writing to Mayor Malik Evans at all, since the correspondence 'appears to be a violation of your ethical obligations as an attorney.' That's because the Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against Rochester challenging its 'sanctuary' policies. 'Given this pending litigation, you — as counsel for the government of the United States — should have no direct communication with my clients without my prior permission,' Beath wrote. New York City's response was the most succinct of those obtained Tuesday by Playbook. Adams has criticized the 'sanctuary' laws put in place before his time in office but said he would uphold them. He has sought to work with Trump while also standing up to him in some areas. As part of a two-paragraph letter to Bondi, the city's Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant wrote: 'The city's choices do not 'thwart' such enforcement; rather, they merely reflect choices the City has the legal right to make in our federal system.' — Emily Ngo CITY HALL: THE LATEST CUOMO PROPOSITIONS: New York City faces an entrenched prostitution problem, even as the Adams administration has greatly ramped up arrests, Cuomo said after a Monday morning visit to Elmhurst, Queens. But the problem would be even worse if Mamdani decriminalized prostitution as mayor. 'It's not going well,' Cuomo told Playbook. 'There's rampant prostitution on Roosevelt Avenue. … It's gotten worse over the last two years. That's what they all say.' Cuomo's main focus was to draw a contrast with Mamdani, who co-sponsors a state bill to decriminalize prostitution. But Adams doesn't support decriminalization, and his admin has been cracking down on sex work. Asked what he'd do differently, Cuomo said 'stepped up enforcement' and 'focus on the operation behind them,' not just the sex workers. City Hall said that's exactly what they're doing, touting that seven major crimes are down 35 percent compared to last year in the special enforcement zone set up around Roosevelt Ave. — totaling 350 fewer incidents than in 2024. 'Anyone dropping by Roosevelt Avenue for a photo-op should do their homework before spreading lies, because working-class New Yorkers in Queens are not political pawns — they're real people who, under our administration, are finally getting the results they deserve,' Adams said in a statement. Cuomo said prostitution needs to remain a crime, because it would 'proliferate' otherwise, and arrests can be used to drive people to treatment and services. He said decriminalization advocates like Mamdani have 'a romanticized version of prostitution that I think is unrealistic. … I don't think anybody goes home and says to their daughter at night, 'Honey, I hope you grow up to be a good prostitute.' We're better than that.' Decriminization hasn't been a part of Mamdani's platform, but he hasn't been clear about how he would handle sex work arrests as mayor. — Jeff Coltin FOR YOUR RADAR: New York City's Commission on Racial Equity says it's suing the Adams administration for never releasing a legally required racial equity plan. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE: Two prominent political donors said that Cuomo and his aides had talked about Trump helping to clear a path for the ex-governor in the general election, The New York Times reported, building off POLITICO's scoop on Cuomo's comments at a closed-door fundraiser in the Hamptons. More from the city: — A super PAC backing Adams' reelection is phoning tens of thousands of voters to tell them Cuomo is a 'sore loser.' (New York Post) — Former interim U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon talks about her career and briefly revisits the Adams saga in her remarks to Yale Law School's incoming class. (The Free Press) — About 3,000 city families are currently waitlisted for child care vouchers despite a huge funding boost from both the city and state. (Gothamist) NEW FROM PLANET ALBANY AFFORDABILITY TALK: The political buzzword of the year — affordability — has crept into the nascent race for state comptroller. Democratic challenger Drew Warshaw, running an uphill primary against longtime incumbent Tom DiNapoli, believes the cost-of-living issues raised by Mamdani are transcending the New York City mayoral campaign. 'He has put his finger on the affordability crisis,' Warshaw told CNBC on Tuesday. 'People look to the mayor to solve the affordability crisis and people look to the governor. Exactly no one has looked to the comptroller.' Drafting off Mamdani's successful focus on affordability is a popular tactic. Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado — who is running a long-shot primary bid against Hochul — has seized on the 33-year-old democratic socialist's upset primary win as a sign New Yorkers are turning against candidates who represent the status quo. Warshaw said he would vote for Mamdani in the general election. DiNapoli has not endorsed in the race, a stance that's in keeping with other statewide elected officials like Hochul. The comptroller's campaign did not comment when reached by Playbook. Warshaw is mounting a spirited bid against DiNapoli, who is the longest serving elected official in state government and has never faced a primary. The comptroller's job — overseeing the state pension fund and auditing spending — is a low-profile one. But Warshaw believes the cost concerns fit with his push to leverage the pension fund to build more housing and scrutinize state spending. 'The average New Yorker understands that they're paying too much in taxes and their costs keep going up,' he said. — Nick Reisman DEPLOYMENT DURATION: Hochul won't put an end date to the National Guard's subway deployment, which started in March 2024. But she insisted a combination of factors — the presence of troops on platforms, placing cameras on subway cars and boosting overtime for cops — have all worked. 'You look at the numbers, it's showing we're making a real difference here,' Hochul told reporters on Tuesday. 'We're going to keep up our efforts to fight crime.' Hochul previously differentiated between her deployment of the guard — meant to allay the public's concern over crime through coordination with New York City officials — from Trump's use of National Guard troops on Washington's streets, despite opposition from the locally elected government. She is walking a delicate line politically on the issue. Hochul wants voters to feel safe — especially on mass transit — and can tout statistics proving her point that safety has improved. But it all comes as Republicans signal they'll again make public safety a campaign issue as she runs for reelection. — Nick Reisman More from Albany: — DiNapoli says there's a gap in rural health care coverage. (Spectrum News) — New York lawmakers this week will scrutinize the state's troubled home care program. (New York Focus) — Trump's 'political weaponization czar' Ed Martin urged Attorney General Letitia James to step down. (Associated Press) KEEPING UP WITH THE DELEGATION — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem would be the focus of a congressional investigation if Democrats flip the House in the midterms. (The Guardian) — Trump budget officials claim sweeping spending power from Congress, records show. (Washington Post) — A spat between Rep. Elise Stefanik and North Country GOP leaders appears to be cooling. (Times Union) NEW YORK STATE OF MIND — The feds are threatening to withhold up to 25 percent of federal funding for the New York City Transit Authority over concerns that its safety reviews aren't up to snuff. (POLITICO Pro) — Acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone was hit with an ethics complaint after taking a newspaper off his media list. (City & State) — Watch out for that rip current at city beaches. (NY1) SOCIAL DATA WELCOME TO THE WORLD: Virginia Boney Moore, senior manager for public policy at Amazon and a Trump White House and NSC alum, and Andrew Moore, chief of staff to Google's Eric Schmidt and a State Dept. alum, on Aug. 5 welcomed Margaret Roberts Moore, who came in at 6 lbs. 13 oz and 19 inches. Pic ... Another pic MAKING MOVES: Nick Simmons has been named CEO of Pursuit, a workforce training company for getting low-income workers into tech jobs. Simmons, who started his career as a founding teacher and acting school principal of a public charter school in Harlem, most recently ran for the state Senate in Connecticut and is a former senior advisor to the secretary of education in the Biden Administration and deputy chief of staff to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont. … … Gerardo Bonilla Chavez is joining The Century Foundation as director of government affairs. He previously was chief of staff for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and was a 2024 Pritzker fellow at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. … Patrick Hill has been promoted to director of constituent services for NYC Council Member Keith Powers. MEDIAWATCH: Kelly Jane Torrance has been promoted to be New York Post's PostScript and books editor. … Katherine Finnerty has been promoted to be head of live journalism at The Wall Street Journal … BronxNet Community TV Cuts 13 Staffers as Cable Cash Dries Up (THE CITY) HAPPY BIRTHDAY: DCJS Commissioner Rossana Rosado … Manuel Belliard of the Manhattan BP's office … Catalyst's Kate Knight … BTN's Manuel Burgos … Oliver Darcy … Al Roker … Tammy Bruce … Larry Kudlow … former USTR Michael Froman … MSNBC PR's Alisha Sahi … Jim Hock of PSP Partners …NYT's Julia Kurzius … Jessica Todtman … Meghan Grant Swiber … (WAS TUESDAY): Marc J. Rowan ... Eric Zinterhofer ... Gabriela Shalev ... Miriam Benkoe ... Dan Aloni
