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An Act Authorizing an Instant Lottery Game with Proceeds To Benefit Early Childhood Education
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  8 MRSA §374, sub-§6  is enacted to read:
 
6.  Early childhood education lottery game.     No later than January 30, 2018, the commission shall develop and initiate a lottery game designed to raise funds for approved public preschool programs for children 4 years of age in accordance with Title 20-A, chapter 203, subchapter 3. The commission shall annually provide the net proceeds of the lottery game established in accordance with this subsection to the Early Childhood Education Fund established in Title 20-A, section 4272. The commission shall change the lottery game ticket periodically throughout the year.
Sec. 2. 8 MRSA §387, sub-§1, ¶C, as amended by PL 1995, c. 494, §5, is further amended to read:
 
C. For payment to the General Fund; and
Sec. 3. 8 MRSA §387, sub-§1, ¶D, as amended by PL 2003, c. 414, Pt. B, §18 and affected by c. 614, §9, is further amended to read:
 
D. For payment to the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund pursuant to Title 12, section 10302.; and
Sec. 4.  8 MRSA §387, sub-§1, ¶E  is enacted to read:
 
E.  For payment to the Early Childhood Education Fund pursuant to Title 20-A, section 4272.
Sec. 5. 20-A MRSA §4271, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2013, c. 581, §3, is amended to read:
 
3. Grant funds.   Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year and for each subsequent school year, the commissioner may provide start-up funding to qualified school administrative units to operate public preschool programs for children 4 years of age. Grants provided for allowable costs for approved public preschool programs must be provided from state, federal or private funds appropriated, allocated or authorized by the Legislature for that purpose and must include $4,000,000 annually in revenues distributed from general purpose aid for local schools that the department receives from casino slot machines or casino table games pursuant to section 15671, subsection 5-A and funds from the Early Childhood Education Fund established in section 4272 that are received pursuant to Title 8, section 387. Any balance of funds appropriated, allocated or authorized by the Legislature remaining at the end of a fiscal year do not lapse and are carried forward to the next fiscal year to carry out the purposes of this subchapter.
Sec. 6.  20-A MRSA §4272  is enacted to read:
§ 4272. Early Childhood Education Fund
The Early Childhood Education Fund, referred to in this section as "the fund," is established for the purpose of providing grant funding for public preschool programs that is disbursed in accordance with section 4271. The fund consists of revenues received pursuant to Title 8, section 387 and any funds received as contributions from private and public sources. The fund must be held separate and apart from all other money, funds and accounts. Eligible investment earnings credited to the assets of the fund become part of the assets of the fund. Any balance remaining in the fund at the end of any fiscal year must be carried forward to the next fiscal year.
 
SUMMARY
This bill directs the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, the State Liquor and Lottery Commission to develop an early childhood education lottery game. Proceeds from the lottery game will be used to fund the Early Childhood Education Fund, which is established for the purpose of providing grant funding for public preschool programs.