(8-B)__One member, appointed by the Governor, who is the executive director of a statewide coalition against sexual assault;

(8-C)__The Attorney General or the Attorney General's designee;

(8-D)__The Chief of the Maine State Police or the chief's designee;

(9) The Commissioner of Public Safety or the commissioner's designee; and

(9-A)__The Commissioner of Human Services or the commissioner's designee;

(9-B)__The Commissioner of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services or the commissioner's designee;

(9-C)__The Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's designee;

(9-D)__The Commissioner of Labor or the commissioner's designee;

(9-E)__The Commissioner of Corrections or the commissioner's designee; and

(10) Up to 8 members-at-large, appointed by the Governor.

Sec. 2. 19-A MRSA §4013, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 507, §3 and affected by §4, is amended to read:

4. Domestic Abuse Homicide Review Panel. The commission shall establish the Domestic Abuse Homicide Review Panel, referred to in this subsection as the "panel," to review the deaths of persons who are killed by family or household members as defined by section 4002.

A. The chair of the commission shall appoint members of the panel who have experience in providing services to victims of domestic abuse and shall include at least the following: the Chief Medical Examiner, a physician, a nurse, a law enforcement officer, the Commissioner of Human Services, the

Commissioner of Corrections, the Commissioner of Public Safety, a judge as assigned by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court, a representative of the Maine Prosecutors Association, an assistant attorney general responsible for the prosecution of homicide cases designated by the Attorney General, an assistant attorney general handling child protection cases designated by the Attorney General, a victim-witness advocate, a mental health service provider, a facilitator of a certified batterers' intervention program under section 4014 and 3 persons designated by a statewide coalition for family crisis services. Members who are not state officials serve a 2- year term without compensation, except that of those initially appointed by the chair, 1/2 must be appointed for a one-year term.

B. The panel shall recommend to state and local agencies methods of improving the system for protecting persons from domestic abuse, including modifications of laws, rules, policies and procedures following completion of adjudication.

C. The panel shall collect and compile data related to domestic abuse.

D. In any case subject to review by the panel, upon oral or written request of the panel, any person that possesses information or records that are necessary and relevant to a homicide review shall as soon as practicable provide the panel with the information and records. Persons disclosing or providing information or records upon the request of the panel are not criminally or civilly liable for disclosing or providing information or records in compliance with this paragraph.

E. The proceedings and records of the panel are confidential and are not subject to subpoena, discovery or introduction into evidence in a civil or criminal action. The commission shall disclose conclusions of the review panel upon request, but may not disclose information, records or data that are otherwise classified as confidential.

The commission shall submit a report on the panel's activities, conclusions and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over judiciary matters by January 1, 1999 January 30, 2002 and annually biannually thereafter.

SUMMARY

This bill makes changes to the composition of the Maine Commission on Domestic Abuse and requires the commission to report biannually to the Legislature.