Senator Donna Bailey:
Getting results for our communities

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Highlights from this legislative session

Sen. Bailey’s bills that passed & became law

• 1970 - An Act to Enact the Maine Indian Child Welfare Act

This bill enacts the Maine Indian Child Welfare Act to establish procedures and standards for cases concerning custody proceedings, foster care placements, termination of parental rights and adoptions involving Indian children.

• 747 - An Act Regarding the Reporting of Adult Name Changes by the Probate Courts to SBI

This bill requires the Probate Court to report by electronic means all name changes to 22 the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police, State Bureau of Identification.

• 115 - An Act to Protect Minors from Exploitation by Adults for Violation of Privacy

Currently, violation of privacy is a Class D crime in all cases. This bill raises violation of privacy to a Class C crime when the victim has not attained 16 years of age, except if the victim is 14 or 15 years of age and the person committing the violation of privacy is less than 5 years older than the victim. This bill also makes this violation of privacy a Tier I offense under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act of 2013.

• 1312 - An Act to Limit the Immunity of Charitable Organizations

This bill amends the state's immunity provisions related to charitable organizations to provide that it is not a defense or a means to limit damages for sexual assault of a minor or sexual exploitation of a minor.

• 1632 - An Act to Require Proper Storage of Forensic Exam Evidence

This amendment changes the number of years that a law enforcement agency is required to store forensic examination kits involving sexual assault from 12 years, as proposed in the bill, to 20 years.

• 1657 - An Act to Amend the Law Governing Certain Sexual Offenses

This amendment, which is the majority report of the committee, defines the term "consent" in the Maine Criminal Code's provisions concerning sexual assault crimes to mean "a word or action by a person that indicates a freely given agreement." It also changes the terms "expressly or impliedly acquiesced" and "acquiesced" to "consented" in the elements of the criminal offenses of gross sexual assault, unlawful sexual contact and unlawful sexual touching.

• 773 - An Act to Ensure Access by Parties and Attorneys to Records in Child and Adult Protection Proceedings

This amendment clarifies that, while the Department of Health and Human Services has discretion to disclose information in its adult protective records to the guardian or conservator of an adult who is the subject of the record, the department is required to disclose information in its adult protective records to the adult who is the subject of the record and the adult's attorney. It also adds a conforming amendment to the Maine Uniform Probate Code requiring the disclosure of information in adult protective records to the adult who is the subject of the record and the adult's attorney in any case in which a public guardian or conservator has been or may be appointed. To facilitate the initial communication between attorneys assigned to represent parents and custodians in child protection proceedings and their clients, the amendment also requires the department to include in a child protection petition the phone number and e-mail address, if known, of each parent and custodian. Inclusion of a parent's and custodian's phone number and e-mail address in the petition is not required if the parent and custodian has taken steps to keep that parent's and custodian's phone number or e-mail address private from another parent and custodian in the proceeding or if disclosure of this information to another parent and custodian in the proceeding would create a safety risk.

Sen. Bailey’s bills that passed & but were vetoed

• 444 - An Act to Designate First Responders and Other Public Safety Professionals as a Special Risk Population for the Purposes of Improving Insurance Coverage for the Effects of Trauma

This bill proposes to designate public safety professionals and first responders as a special risk population for the purposes of improving insurance coverage to detect and provide preventive care for the cumulative physical and mental health effects of exposure to consistent negative events and trauma.

• 857 - An Act to Improve Family Team Meetings in Child Welfare Cases to Ensure Better Outcomes for Children by Providing Adequate Funding

This bill proposes to enact measures to improve family team meetings in child welfare cases to ensure better outcomes for children by providing adequate funding to support the full implementation of family team meetings, including neutral facilitation at critical case points and training and coaching for all staff.

Sen. Bailey’s bills that passed & but weren’t funded

• 1914 - An Act to Enact the Maine Psilocybin Health Access Act

The resolve establishes the Commission to Study Pathways for Creating a Psilocybin Services Program in Maine.

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Constituent Services

​I am always available to help a constituent with matters before the State.  One story does stick out though.  I was contacted by a woman who was having difficulty in getting her hairdressing business up and running because she could not get her license approved through the State.  Within hours of contacting me, I was able to secure her license and to get an apology from the Commissioner as to the way her situation had been handled.  Cutting through red tape is my super power! 

During the early part of the Covid state of emergency, I was contacted by a local small business owner, a seamstress, who had to close her shop due to the pandemic, as she was not considered an essential business. She contacted me because she had been approached by a local grocery store, as well as many of her customers, asking if she could sew masks for them. Within an hour, we were able to get her face mask sewing part of her business deemed essential and she was able to
help our community.

Working across the aisle:

• Bi-Partisan Coastal Caucus member – working together on issues that affect Maine coastal
  communities
  
• Bi-Partisan Aging Caucus member – working together to support legislation that improves life
  for Maine Seniors
  
• Bi-Partisan Children’s Caucus member – working together to support legislation that improves
  life for Maine children