An Act To Amend and Improve the Education Laws LR 1853(03)
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1577
Committee Amendment CA_B_S202 (Senate)
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Amends: 20-A MRSA §8104

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "B" to S.P. 538, L.D. 1577, Bill, "An 
Act To Amend and Improve the Education Laws" 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 6. 
Further amend the bill in section 10 by striking out all of 
subsection 1 and inserting in its place the following: 
'1. 
Establishment. 
Each school administrative unit mast 
~, commencing 
with 
the 
1981-88 
2004-2005 
school 
year, 
ests&l-i-s-a.-a fully implement its plan for phasing in gifted and 
talented educational programs. 
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iR-~he-~~~-~-~-&B4-a991T Beginning with the 2004-2005 school 
year, a school administrative unit may apply to the commissioner 
for a one-year waiver of this requirement if full implementation 
of this requirement presents an undue burden.' 
Further amend the bill by inserting after section 10 the 
following: 
'Sec. 11. 20-A MRSA §8104, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 1985, c. 
463, §1, is amended to read: 
2. 
Rules. 
The commissioner shall esta&lisa amend or adopt 
rules to implement this section, including the identification of 
students, needs and resource assessment, 
and program planning, 
development and 
~eliveFY implementation. 
Rules adopted pursuant 
to this section are routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.' 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "",, to S.P. 538, L.D. 1577 
Further amend the bill by relettering 
nonconsecutive 
Part 
letter 
or 
section 
consecutively. 
or renumbering any 
number 
to 
read 
SUMMARY 
This amendment is the minority report of the Joint Standing 
Committee 
on 
Education 
and Cultural Affairs. 
The 
amendment 
accomplishes the following. 
1. 
It removes the section of the bill that provided for 
reinstatement of "emotional disability" to the definition of 
"exceptional student" in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, 
section 7001; and 
2. 
It retains the 
prov~s~on in the original bill that 
amends 
the 
date 
for 
full 
implementation 
of 
the 
school 
administrative unit's gifted and talented program, but changes 
the implementation date for gifted and talented programs from the 
2003-2004 
school 
year 
to 
the 
2004-2005 
school 
year. 
The 
amendment also provides that, beginning with the 2004-2005 school 
year, a school administrative unit may request a one-year waiver 
from the Commissioner of Education on the requirement for fully 
implementing its plan for phasing in its gifted and talented 
program. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
State Mandate 
Approved: 05/16/03 p..?ae. 
l2lst Maine Legislature 
Office of Fiscal and Program Review 
LD 1577 
An Act To Amend and Improve the Education Laws 
LR 1853(03) 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment 'B'~O~ 
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Minority Report 
Fiscal Note 
Current Cost - State Mandate 
New or Expanded Activity 
Unit Affected 
Costs 
Requiring local school units to fully implement the plan for phasing 
School 
Insignificant 
in gifted and talented education programs beginning in the 2004-
2005 school year is a state mandate. The cost to each individual 
school unit can not be determined at this time. 
LR1853(3) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1