Sec. B-1. Work group convened. The Department of Human Services and the Department of the Attorney General, within existing resources, are directed to convene a work group, comprised of the following members, whose appointments must be made within 30 days of the effective date of this Act:
1. A representative of the Department of the Attorney General, appointed by the Attorney General;
2. A representative of the Department of Human Services, appointed by the Commissioner of Human Services;
3. A member of the Senate, appointed by the President of the Senate;
4. A member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House;
5. A representative of the Maine Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, chosen by its members;
6. A representative of the Maine Prosecutors' Association, chosen by its members;
7. A representative of the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault, chosen by its members;
8. A representative of law enforcement investigators, appointed by the Attorney General; and
9. The Chief Justice is requested to appoint a representative of the judiciary.
Sec. B-2. Chair. The members of the work group shall appoint a chair from among their members.
Sec. B-3. Duties. The work group shall examine the legal rights of children who testify in cases in which they have been the alleged victims of sexual abuse. The work group shall also review the State's current investigative and courtroom procedures for cases of sexual abuse of minors and make recommendations to improve the quality of investigations and modify conventional procedures that seem stressful to children. In conducting the review, the work group shall:
1. Review other states' laws regarding issues concerning child sexual abuse;
2. Explore the use of a multidisciplinary team of professionals to provide consistency throughout each case of child sexual abuse;
3. Propose ways to improve the setting in which children are interviewed and provide alternatives to the testimony of a child in an open courtroom;
4. Assess the qualifications of individuals who currently conduct interviews with children and, if necessary, develop specialized training to enhance interviewing skills;
5. Explore the feasibility of having one interviewer selected jointly by the prosecution and the defense to conduct all interviews required of a child in a child sexual abuse case;
6. Explore the use of 2-way mirrors, videotaping or joint interviews to reduce the number and enhance the quality of interviews; and
7. Propose a standard format for interviewing victims of child sexual abuse.
Sec. B-4. Staff assistance. The Department of Human Services and the Attorney General shall provide staffing assistance for the work group.
Sec. B-5. Compensation. The members of the work group who are Legislators are entitled to receive the legislative per diem as defined in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 3, section 2 and reimbursement for travel and other necessary expenses for attendance at meetings of the work group. Other members are not entitled to compensation or reimbursement of expenses.
Sec. B-6. Appropriation. The following funds are appropriated from the General Fund to carry out the purposes of this Act.
1997-98
LEGISLATURE
Study Commissions - Funding
Personal Services $440
All Other 400
Provides funds for the per diem and expenses of legislative members appointed to a work group examining the legal rights of children who testify in cases in which they have been the alleged victims of sexual abuse.
LEGISLATURE __________
TOTAL $840
Sec. B-7. Report. The work group shall submit its recommendations, along with any necessary implementing legislation, to the Second Regular Session of the 118th Legislature on or before January 1, 1998.
Effective September 19, 1997, unless otherwise indicated.
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