An Act To Dedicate Funds for Emergency Back-up Power for Schools
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §15910, sub-§5 is enacted to read:
5. Funding for emergency back-up electrical power. A school administrative unit that participates in the Percent for Art Program under Title 27, section 453 shall expend a minimum amount of 1/2 of 1% of the cost of the eligible school construction project or any building or facility that is part of an eligible project or $25,000, whichever is less, for the construction of facilities to provide emergency back-up electrical power to the school, building or facility being constructed in the event of an electrical power outage.
Sec. 2. 27 MRSA §453, sub-§1, as amended by PL 1999, c. 706, §8, is further amended to read:
1. Amount; gifts and donations. A contracting agency, except a school administrative unit, shall expend out of money appropriated or allocated by the Legislature for the construction of a public building or facility, except for a correctional facility, a minimum amount of 1% of the construction portion of the appropriation or allocation, for the purpose of acquiring, transporting and installing works of art. School units that have decided to participate in the Percent for Art Program shall expend , in addition to the provisions of Title 20-A, section 15910, subsection 5, a minimum amount of 1/2 of 1% of the cost of the eligible school construction project or of any building or facility that is part of an eligible project or $50,000 $25,000, whichever is less.
Donations and gifts to the contracting agency may be used to offset the minimum amount identified in this subsection. The value of works of art received as a donation or a gift must be determined by the commission.
summary
This bill provides that if a school administrative unit participates in the Percent for Art Program it must use at least 1/2 of the amount identified for this purpose to provide back-up electrical power to the school, building or facility being constructed.