AUGUSTA — Maine lawmakers voted Thursday to confirm a new commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, a large and complex agency that faces a federal lawsuit over the state’s care for disabled children.

Sara Gagné-Holmes, who served as deputy commissioner of the department for five years and has been acting commissioner since June, was confirmed to the permanent position by a 24-8 vote in the Maine Senate.

Sara Gagné-Holmes, left, talks to Sen Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop, after being confirmed as commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services in Augusta on Thursday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

“I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve the people of Maine,” Gagné-Holmes said in an interview after the vote. “I appreciate the vote of the Senate today. They’re putting a lot of trust in me and I hope I can live up to that trust. It is something I’m confident we can do and that we can make a difference for the people of Maine.”

Gagné-Holmes replaces Jeanne Lambrew, who served as DHHS commissioner from 2019 until May 2024, when she left to take a job in Washington, D.C. Gagné-Holmes will earn a salary of $194,313. Lambrew was making $205,358 at the time she left.

Gov. Janet Mills announced in July that she would be nominating Gagné-Holmes to the job, and thanked the Senate for its confirmation in a written statement.

“Commissioner Gagné-Holmes cares deeply about the health, safety and welfare of Maine people, and she has the knowledge and experience necessary to lead the department,” Mills said. “Today’s vote is a testament to the fact.”

Gagné-Holmes is an attorney, former café owner and previous leader of the liberal advocacy group Maine Equal Justice Partners.

The department oversees everything from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to public assistance programs and child protective services. It has more than 3,500 employees across eight offices and two psychiatric hospitals.

During her confirmation hearing, Gagné-Holmes faced tough questions from lawmakers about the department’s struggle to protect children from abuse and neglect, and about a lawsuit filed last month against the department by the U.S. Department of Justice for failing to provide timely access to services for children with behavioral health needs, pointing out lengthy waiting lists and many children languishing in emergency departments waiting months for placements.

Lawmakers on Thursday reiterated their concerns with the department, especially in the area of child welfare, but several also said they are hopeful that Gagné-Holmes will be able to bring change.

Sen. Jeff Timberlake, R-Turner, speaks during a debate on the confirmation of Sara Gagné-Holmes as commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services during a session at the Maine State House in Augusta on Thursday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Sen. Jeff Timberlake, R-Turner, who last session sponsored a proposal that sought to create a standalone department to oversee child welfare in Maine, said he has a lot of respect for Gagné-Holmes but told fellow lawmakers in a floor speech Thursday that he would vote against her nomination because he believes someone from outside the department should be brought in to take over.

“In the time she has been at DHHS we have seen a deterioration of services, culture and standards,” Timberlake said. “I and many others believe the department has been in decline for some time. That’s why I feel the confirmation of Sara Gagné-Holmes is the wrong solution.”

“We need objectivity here, not an insider who has been here the whole time these problems have existed,” Timberlake said. “We need a fresh approach, not a recycled approach.”

Sen. Rick Bennett, R-Oxford, speaks Thursday in support of confirming Sara Gagné-Holmes as commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Sen. Rick Bennett, R-Oxford, who voted in favor of Gagné-Holmes’ confirmation, said he was reassured after a recent meeting with her to discuss the many issues facing the department.

Bennett listed many problems at DHHS: it’s too closed off, the system doesn’t work for people, employees have expressed concerns about retaliation, the devastating loss of long-term care facilities, especially in rural Maine.

But he said he found confidence in Gagné-Holmes after their conversation, in which she told him that she sees the department and lawmakers as working for the same people and trying to do the same work.

“I haven’t felt like we’ve been working in collaboration with the department,” Bennett said. “I’ve felt like we’re working against each other, and that is a terrible, terrible feeling and a terrible reality for all of us in the most important department in state government.”

He said he was encouraged by Gagné-Holmes’ attitude. “My vote is not a vote for the status quo,” he said. “In fact, it’s just the reverse. It’s a vote for hope.”

Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, Senate chair of the Committee on Health and Human Services, said Gagné-Holmes “is a person of great intellect, great experience and great compassion.”

Sara Gagné-Holmes talks to the media after being confirmed as commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services by the Maine Senate on Thursday. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Baldacci said committee members conveyed to Gagné-Holmes that child welfare and the pending lawsuit are “at the top of the priority list” and lawmakers intend to follow-up on them. “I’m confident that based on her history, her experience, her deep Maine roots, her compassion and her intellect that she is going to help us move forward,” he said.

Gagné-Holmes said she is aware of lawmakers’ concerns and that she welcomes any opportunity to improve outcomes, especially in the child welfare system. “We know there are problems,” she said. “We are open to collaborating with the Legislature and solving those issues.”

In response to some lawmakers saying they want to see better communication between themselves and the department, Gagné-Holmes said she also will work on that.

“I have served in a number of different capacities and communication has always been key,” she said. “Working with stakeholders has always been a priority of mine, and everyone is a stakeholder when it comes to this work. So I look forward to those communications and hearing what people have to say, identifying the issues and working collaboratively to resolve those issues.”

Sen. Tim Nangle, D-Windham, who voted against Gagne-Holmes’ confirmation, said it is clear that Maine’s child welfare system is not protecting the state’s children.

“I sincerely hope the new leadership responds with the necessary urgency to put out the fire in the Office of Child and Family Services,” Nangle said.