Sen. Anne Carney introduces bill to fund services and staff at the new drug treatment court in Aroostook County

AUGUSTA – On Monday, March 10, 2025, Sen. Anne Carney, D-Cape Elizabeth, introduced a bill to fund services and staff at the new drug treatment court in Aroostook County. LD 779, “An Act to Fund the Aroostook County Drug Treatment Court,” would allocate funds to the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) in the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and to the Maine Commission on Public Defense Services. It was the subject of a public hearing before the Legislature’s Joint Standing Committee on Judiciary, on which Sen. Carney serves as Senate chair.

“Last year, as the Senate chair of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, I was pleased to guide the Committee’s work to expand access to justice for Mainers impacted by the opioid crisis and substance use disorder by establishing a drug treatment court in the County,” said Sen. Carney. “Now that the creation of the court is in process, the next step is to fund the services and staff that will allow it to fulfill its mission to offer local treatment and recovery options for individuals with substance abuse disorder who interact with the criminal justice system.”

LD 779 would also allocate funds to allow OBH to contract with an organization to provide pre-trial services and to establish an Assistant District Attorney position at the court.

Prior to the creation of the drug treatment court in Aroostook County, individuals with substance use disorder who interacted with the criminal justice system had to travel to the closest drug treatment court in Calais. That is 91 miles from Houlton, 132 miles from Presque Isle, 145 miles from Caribou and 189 miles from Fort Kent.

LD 779 faces further action in the Judiciary Committee.

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