Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §4005, sub-§2, as amended by PL 1983, c. 783, §2, is further amended to read:

2. Parents. Parents and custodians are entitled to legal counsel in child protection proceedings, except a request for a preliminary protection order under section 4034 or a petition for a medical treatment order under section 4071, but including hearings on those orders. They may request the court to appoint legal counsel for them. The court, if it finds them indigent, shall appoint and pay the reasonable costs and expenses of their legal counsel whose reasonable costs and expenses, as determined by the court, must be paid by the department.

SUMMARY

This bill provides that reasonable costs and expenses, as determined by a court, for legal counsel for an indigent parent or custodian in a child protection proceeding must be paid by the Department of Human Services.