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Amend the bill by striking out all of section 4 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §13007, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2005, c. 457, Pt. FF, §1, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
 
1.  Fees.     The commissioner shall establish and assess fees for the initial issuance of and the renewal of teacher, education specialist and administrator certificates. The commissioner shall, by rule, establish the following fees and the procedures required to assess them:
 
A.  Fees for the initial certification process for those teachers, education specialists and administrators found eligible and those found ineligible;
 
B.  Renewal fees for each active and inactive teacher, education specialist and administrator;
 
C.  A fee for each additional evaluation of teacher endorsements beyond the initial endorsement;
 
D.  A fee for duplicate certificates; and
 
E.  A fee for administrative portfolios.
 
The department shall annually post the fees established by the commissioner for the initial issuance of and the renewal of teacher, education specialist and administrator certificates on its publicly accessible website. The commissioner shall adopt rules to carry out this subsection. Rules adopted under this subsection to establish and assess fees for the initial issuance of and the renewal of teacher, education specialist and administrator certificates are major substantive rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment clarifies the bill's proposed changes to the Commissioner of Education's authority to establish and assess fees for initial and renewal certificates. The amendment requires the Department of Education to annually post the fees required for the initial issuance of and the renewal of teacher, education specialist and administrator certificates on the department's publicly accessible website. The amendment also requires the commissioner to adopt major substantive rules to carry out the establishment and assessment of these certification fees.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)