The Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee is considering whether to open an investigation into a technology upgrade that has cost the state more than $34 million to date and is years behind schedule.
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Watchdog committee reviews options for reforms in Maine’s child protection system
AUGUSTA – The Legislature’s watchdog agency is proposing several potential law changes to close cracks in the system for protecting Maine children against child abuse. The changes under review by the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability include adding training requirements for professionals who are mandated to report suspected abuse and changing the criteria […]
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State failed to follow procedures and share information in deaths of 2 girls
State child protective workers failed to follow policies and procedures in assessing the placement of a young girl who died as a result of abuse last winter, the Legislature’s watchdog agency concluded in a review released Thursday. In the case of a second girl’s death, there were widely scattered reports of potential abuse or neglect, but […]
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OPEGA report finds lack of accountability for Pine Tree Development zones
AUGUSTA (AP) — A report suggests a program created by then-Maine Gov. John Baldacci to spur development in economically depressed areas is not helping much. Some lawmakers want to scrap the program. The Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability says the Pine Tree Development Zone program lacks accountability to assess its true capacity to […]
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Report: Benefits of $12M economic development program are questionable
AUGUSTA — A state economic-development program that costs Maine $12 million a year cannot be credited with creating any new jobs or achieving any of its desired outcomes, a legislative watchdog reported Wednesday. The Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability completed an 18-month evaluation of the Pine Tree Development Zone program and reported its […]
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Report says Riverview failed to adequately track staff behavior
AUGUSTA — A report released Friday by the Maine Legislature’s watchdog group found that Riverview Psychiatric Center hasn’t tracked staff behaviors that could undermine safety at the facility. It was among minor problems flagged at the hospital, which was decertified by the federal government in 2013 after violations including restraint and use of a stun […]
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Maine lawmakers plan to pursue impeachment in wake of report on Paul LePage
AUGUSTA — The Government Oversight Committee’s investigation of Gov. Paul LePage’s role in forcing Good Will-Hinckley to rescind an employment offer to House Speaker Mark Eves concluded Thursday. That didn’t stop at least two House members’ plans to draft impeachment orders against the governor. For the most part, the committee supported the findings in the […]
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Turner, Lisbon lawmakers call for Healthy Maine Partnership investigation
AUGUSTA — Two Republican lawmakers want the state to investigate Healthy Maine Partnership’s finances. According to Maine Public Broadcasting Network, Rep. Jeffrey Timberlake of Turner and Sen. Garrett Mason of Lisbon Falls want the Government Oversight Committee to conduct a formal review. Healthy Maine Partnerships is a network of community health organizations throughout the state that addresses […]
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OPEGA to release report in Paul LePage investigation in September
AUGUSTA — A status report about an investigation into whether Gov. Paul LePage acted illegally or unethically by threatening to withhold taxpayer funding from Good Will-Hinckley unless it fired Democratic House Speaker Mark Eves will wait until September. Beth Ashcroft, director of the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability, told the Legislature’s Government Oversight […]
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Government watchdog committee green lights LePage investigation
AUGUSTA — The Legislature’s watchdog Government Oversight Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to authorize an investigation into the influence Republican Gov. Paul LePage’s actions had on the decision by a nonprofit charter school to fire House Speaker Mark Eves as its president days after hiring him. In question is whether LePage threatened to withhold or […]