05/06/2026
***One Child’s Death is Too Many***
We have attached our press release.
Please also see my expanded comments on LD 127 herein, as I owe it to the families of these young children, as well as the voters, to speak clearly and honestly about LD 127 and what was at stake.
The bill aimed at strengthening legislative oversight by allowing the Government Oversight Committee access to certain confidential records held by state agencies, including the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), during investigations. The goal? Transparency and accountability. Plain and simple. LD 127 had real bipartisan support, and I commend those lawmakers who did the right thing.
I am a Maine attorney who practices family law, among other areas. As such, I have had more than my fair share of direct experience with DHHS. Candidly, most of those cases have not ended well for the families or children involved. I do believe most DHHS employees care deeply, but the Department itself is incredibly difficult to deal with. The level of confidentiality is among the strongest you will find anywhere, and in many cases, it goes too far, shielding decisions from scrutiny and, at times, allowing bias to creep in.
As your future senator, I am committed to exposing facts and not promulgating disinformation to score political points or drive division. In addition, I will do my best to limit any misinformation, and if I make a mistake, I will acknowledge it and correct it.
Accordingly, you will hear different numbers about child deaths involving DHHS “custody” over the last decade. Custody, in and of itself, has a legal definition, so I will not engage in fruitless debates about the accuracy of the numbers or DHHS’ legal standing in each case.
I encourage you to review the reports yourself and draw your own conclusions. My takeaway is this: the numbers are alarming, but where I stand is simple. ONE child lost is enough to demand stronger oversight.
What is not up for debate is that there was bipartisan momentum behind LD 127. My opponent in this race, Rep. Dan Sayre of Kennebunk, voted against it. He also voted to adjourn the session before this bill could be fully addressed. I will not speculate as to why, because that is not healthy or productive. If you want Rep. Sayre’s reasoning, you should ask him directly.
I will say this: using procedural moves to avoid finishing the people’s work is not leadership. It is one thing to take a tough vote and live with the result. The duty of the Legislature is to show up and complete the People’s work, regardless of political differences. Using parliamentary procedures to accomplish political goals is unacceptable. You go to the mat and wear a loss on your chin, but canceling the match outright to avoid a predictable loss is the cheap way out.
I would have supported LD 127 because, as I have stated before, I have firsthand experience with so many of the critical issues facing this state. I am in the thick of these issues every day, and I will not flip a partisan switch just to kiss the ring of the powers that be.
The job is simple: show up, do the work, and be accountable to the people you represent. My opponent failed to do that here. - JRF
