| HP0208 LD 299 |
Session - 126th Maine Legislature |
LR 794 Item 1 |
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| Bill Tracking, Additional Documents | Chamber Status | ||
RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine To Require the State Share of Education Funding To Be at Least Fifty-five Percent of the Total Cost and One Hundred Percent of the Cost of Special Education
Constitutional amendment. Resolved: Two thirds of each branch of the Legislature concurring, that the following amendment to the Constitution of Maine be proposed:
Constitution, Art. VIII, Pt. First, §3 is enacted to read:
Section 3. State share of education costs. The Legislature shall appropriate sufficient state funds to cover at least 55% of the total state and local cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 and 100% of the state and local cost of providing all special education services mandated under federal and state law, rule or regulation.
"Do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to require the Legislature to provide sufficient state funds to cover at least 55% of the total state and local cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 and 100% of the state and local cost of special education?"
The legal voters of each city, town and plantation shall vote by ballot on this question and designate their choice by a cross or check mark placed within the corresponding square below the word "Yes" or "No." The ballots must be received, sorted, counted and declared in open ward, town and plantation meetings and returns made to the Secretary of State in the same manner as votes for members of the Legislature. The Governor shall review the returns. If it appears that a majority of the legal votes are cast in favor of the amendment, the Governor shall proclaim that fact without delay and the amendment becomes part of the Constitution of Maine on the date of the proclamation; and be it further
Secretary of State shall prepare ballots. Resolved: That the Secretary of State shall prepare and furnish to each city, town and plantation all ballots, returns and copies of this resolution necessary to carry out the purposes of this referendum.
SUMMARY
This resolution proposes to amend the Constitution of Maine to require the Legislature to appropriate sufficient state funds to cover at least 55% of the total state and local cost of funding public education from kindergarten to grade 12 and 100% of the state and local costs of special education as approved pursuant to citizen-initiated legislation in 2004.