126th MAINE LEGISLATURE
		LD 1530		LR 171(04)
	An Act To Establish a Process for the Implementation of Universal Voluntary Prekindergarten Education
	Fiscal Note for Senate Amendment " " to Committee Amendment "A"
	Sponsor: Sen. Millett of Cumberland
	Fiscal Note Required: Yes
Fiscal Note
Undetermined future biennium cost increase - General Fund
			FY 2013-14	FY 2014-15	Projections  FY 2015-16	Projections  FY 2016-17
Net Cost (Savings)
	General Fund		$0	($69,877)	($69,667)	($320,576)
Appropriations/Allocations
	General Fund		$0	($69,877)	($69,667)	($320,576)
Fiscal Detail and Notes
	This amendment includes a General Fund deappropriation of $69,877 to the General Purpose Aid for Local Schools program within the Department of Education which reduces funding for the bus refurbishing program in order to fund the appropriation in the committee amendment.  This amendment also eliminates the estimated one-time cost of $248,000 in fiscal year 2016-17 to provide professional development by removing  the requirement that a uniform common statewide assessment program for kindergarten be used by all local school administrative units (SAU's) beginning with the 2016-2017 school year.  This amendment, instead, makes utilizing the assessment optional.  The cost to the Department of Education to provide professional development to those SAU's that choose to utilize the uniform common statewide assessment program beginning in fiscal year 2016-17 can not be determined at this time.
	This amendment removes the requirement that school administrative units (SAU's) operate or otherwise provide for the availability of a public preschool program if adequate funds are provided and instead provides for one-time start-up grant funds to be available to those SAU's that submit an implementation plan to the Department of Education to operate a new or expand an existing public preschool program.
	Finally, this amendment eliminates the requirement that all revenues from casino slot machines or table games received by the department beginning in fiscal year 2015-16 must be used for approved public preschool programs and instead provides that, beginning in fiscal 2015-16,  $4,000,000 per year in slot machine and table games revenue received by the department must be distributed to provide start-up grants for approved public preschool programs.