Maine department bill would give licensing division subpoena power in investigations of vulnerable-adult abuse

At a public hearing before the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services, a department-sponsored bill that would allow the Maine Division of Licensing and Certification (DLC) to issue subpoenas for records and testimony in investigations of abuse, neglect and exploitation of vulnerable adults was introduced.

The sponsor said the bill “seeks to strengthen the Division of Licensing and Certification’s efforts to complete investigations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults in a timely fashion.” She told the committee that DLC is currently unable to obtain records related to licensure-violation investigations from agencies or entities that do not hold a current DLC license and that the proposed change would grant the department the ability to issue subpoenas in such investigations. “This change would be consistent with authority already established in accordance with the Adult Protective Services Act and with other professional licensure boards,” the sponsor said.

Representative Michelle Meyer, who presided over the hearing, told members the committee will schedule a work session within the next few weeks for deliberation and debate. The committee chair outlined the hearing process and the order of bills the panel expected to consider that day and reminded witnesses of a three-minute time limit for public testimony.

Bill Monteo, introduced to the committee as director of licensing, approached the committee after the sponsor’s remarks to present the department’s details and to answer members’ questions. No formal vote or motion was recorded during the portion of the hearing in the transcript provided. The committee and department representatives said they would return for a work session where commissioners will discuss the bill further and decide whether to vote on a recommendation.

The proposal, as described at the hearing, targets investigative access to records and testimony; supporters framed it as a tool to ensure timely investigations of suspected maltreatment of adults who meet the state’s definitions of vulnerable or protected populations. The sponsor and department said the change would align DLC authority with the Adult Protective Services Act and with the subpoena powers available to other professional licensure boards.

Deliberation and any final committee recommendation or vote will occur at a work session to be scheduled; the transcript did not record a timeline for that work session or a final outcome for the bill.