Maine's Department of Health and Human Services says it's delivering the final case files today of four children who died last year to a state independent oversight agency — but not to a committee of lawmakers.
In September, lawmakers on the Government Oversight Committee directed DHHS to provide the case files to the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, or OPEGA. The committee also issued a subpoena for DHHS to hand over the confidential files to the committee itself. Its members argued that they need access for their own investigation into Maine's child protection system.
But DHHS is objecting to the subpoena, and the state Attorney General's office has notified the committee that releasing confidential records directly to lawmakers is a violation of state and federal law.
The Government Oversight Committee's next meeting is on Oct. 19.
