§ 16 §358 — Recordings of protected person

1.
Definitions.
As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.
2.
Qualifications of forensic interviewer.
In order to be qualified as a forensic interviewer, an individual must:
3.
Exception to hearsay rule.
This section establishes an exception to the hearsay rule under the Maine Rules of Evidence, Rule 802, for the recording of a forensic interview of a protected person. A party seeking to offer all or a portion of a recording of a forensic interview of a protected person into evidence shall file a motion in limine. After providing all parties the opportunity to be heard on the motion, the court shall determine whether, in addition to satisfying all of the other requirements of this section, the following criteria have been met:
4.
Recordings of protected persons preserved.
A recording of a protected person that is made part of the court record must be preserved under a protective order of the court in order to protect the privacy of the protected person. The court shall maintain a copy of the recording as part of the court file for 20 years.
5.
Applicability.
Notwithstanding Title 1, section 302, this section applies to:

Legislative History

PL 2023, c. 193, §1 (NEW). PL 2023, c. 646, Pt. D, §1 (AMD).