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Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the emergency clause and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §1485, sub-§5  is enacted to read:
 
5.  Additional state subsidy.     The warrant presented to the legislative body of the regional school unit at a regional school unit budget meeting may include an article or articles providing that, in the event that the regional school unit receives more state education subsidy than the amount included in its budget, the regional school unit board is authorized to use all or part of the additional subsidy to:
 
A.  Increase expenditures for school purposes in cost center categories approved by the regional school unit board. If that article is approved by the voters at the budget meeting, the regional school unit board may increase expenditures for school purposes in cost center categories approved by the regional school unit board as provided in the article, without holding a special budget meeting and budget validation referendum;
 
B.  Increase the allocation of finances in a reserve fund. If that article is approved by the voters at the budget meeting, the regional school unit board may increase the allocation of finances for a reserve fund approved by the regional school unit board as provided in the article, without holding a special budget meeting and budget validation referendum; or
 
C.  Decrease the local cost share expectation, as defined in section 15671-A, subsection 1, paragraph B, for local property taxpayers for funding public education. If that article is approved by the voters at the budget meeting, the regional school unit board may decrease the local cost share expectation for local property taxpayers approved by the regional school unit board as provided in the article, without holding a special budget meeting and budget validation referendum.
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §1486, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2009, c. 571, Pt. QQQ, §2, is further amended to read:
 
2. Validation referendum procedures.   The budget validation referendum must be held on or before the 30th calendar day following the scheduled date of the regional school unit budget meeting. The referendum may not be held on a Sunday or legal holiday. The vote at referendum is for the purpose of approving or rejecting the total regional school unit budget approved at the regional school unit budget meeting. The regional school unit board shall provide printed information to be displayed at polling places to assist voters in voting. That information is limited to the total amounts proposed by the regional school unit board for each cost center summary budget category article, the amount approved at the regional school unit budget meeting, a summary of the total authorized expenditures and, if applicable because of action on an article under section 15690, subsection 3, paragraph A, a statement that the amount approved at the regional school unit budget meeting includes locally raised funds that exceed the maximum state and local spending target pursuant to section 15671-A, subsection 5. If the legislative body of the regional school unit at the regional school unit budget meeting approves an article pursuant to section 1485, subsection 5, the substance of the article must be included in the printed information displayed at polling places for the budget validation referendum.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment strikes and replaces the bill. The bill authorizes a regional school unit to include an article in the warrant for its annual budget meeting providing that, in the event that the regional school unit receives more state education subsidy than the amount included in its budget, the regional school unit board is authorized to increase expenditures for school purposes in cost center categories approved by the regional school unit board, without a special budget meeting and budget validation referendum. The amendment retains that provision and allows a regional school unit to include such articles for the purposes of increasing the allocation of finances in a reserve fund and decreasing the local cost share expectation for local property taxpayers for funding public education.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)