Sec. 1. 4 MRSA §184 is enacted to read:

§184.__Juvenile Division of the District Court

1.__Establishment; jurisdiction.__There is established within the District Court the Juvenile Division to provide resolution of disputes involving juveniles and family members, governmental service providers and institutions.__The judges within the Juvenile Division shall emphasize resolution of disputes through mediation, behavior modification and equitable remedies when possible.

2.__Jurisdiction.__The Juvenile Division has jurisdiction over all matters involving juveniles not already within the jurisdiction of the Family Division, including:

A.__Proceedings under the Maine Juvenile Code;

B.__Cases and controversies involving children in need of services, including but not limited to mental health services and mental retardation services;

C.__Traffic offenses involving juveniles;

D.__Emancipation proceedings;

E.__Matters involving juveniles who are homeless or__who have run away from home; and

F.__Any other matters involving juveniles as determined by the Chief Judge.

3.__Assignment of judges.__The Chief Judge of the District Court shall assign one or more judges to sit as judges exclusively in the Juvenile Division.__A judge assigned to sit in the Juvenile Division must have interest, background, experience and training in the areas within the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Division.

4.__Reports.__The State Court Administrator shall keep statistical records relating to the cases handled by the Juvenile Division and report this information to the Supreme Judicial Court annually and to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over judiciary matters by January 15th of each odd-numbered calendar year.__The State Court Administrator shall evaluate the functioning of the Juvenile Division in providing a system of justice that is responsive to the needs of juveniles in light of the jurisdiction given to the Juvenile Division under this section.