An Act To Amend the Regional School Unit Budget Validation Process
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 0742
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: VALENTINO
Amends: 20-A MRSA §1486, 20-A MRSA §1487

Legislative Document 
No. 742 
S.P. 280 
In Senate, February 28, 2013 
An Act To Amend the Regional School Unit Budget Validation 
Process 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
DAREK M. GRANT 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by Senator VALENTINO of York. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §1486, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2011, c. 678, Pt. B, §1, is 
further amended to read: 
4.  Failure to approve budget.  If the voters do not validate the budget approved in 
the regional school unit budget meeting at the budget validation referendum vote, the 
regional school unit board shall hold another regional school unit budget meeting in 
accordance with this section and section 1485 at least 10 days but no longer than 45 days 
after the referendum to vote on a budget approved by the regional school unit board.  The 
budget approved at the regional school unit budget meeting must be submitted to the 
voters for validation at referendum in accordance with this section. The process must be 
repeated until a budget is approved at a regional school unit budget meeting and validated 
at referendum. If a budget is not approved and validated before July 1st of each year, 
section 1487 applies. If the budget approved at the regional school unit budget meeting 
does not gain approval by voters at the budget validation referendum, the process must be 
repeated until a budget is validated at referendum, except that, when a regional school 
unit has conducted a minimum of 2 regional school unit budget meetings and 2 budget 
validation referenda prior to August 30th, the budget approved at the last regional school 
unit budget meeting becomes the budget for the fiscal year.  If a regional school unit has 
not conducted 2 such cycles of budget meetings and referenda by August 30th, the 
regional school unit shall conduct 2 complete budget approval cycles, if necessary, 
without a time limit, and, if the regional school unit conducts 2 full cycles of budget 
meetings and referenda and the budget is not validated at referendum, the budget 
approved at the last regional school unit budget meeting becomes the budget for the fiscal 
year. 
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §1487, as amended by PL 2007, c. 668, §21, is further 
amended to read: 
§1487.  Failure to pass budget 
If a budget for the operation of a regional school unit is not approved prior to July 
1st, the latest budget approved at a regional school unit budget meeting and submitted to 
the voters for validation at a referendum in accordance with section 1486 is automatically 
considered the budget for operational expenses for the ensuing year until a final budget is 
approved, except that, when the regional school unit board delays the regional school unit 
budget meeting, the operating budget must be approved within 30 days of the date the 
commissioner notifies the regional school unit board of the amount allocated to the 
regional school unit under section 15689-B, or the latest budget submitted by the regional 
school unit board becomes the operating budget for the next school year until a budget is 
approved at a regional school unit budget meeting and validated at a referendum. If the 
budget of a regional school unit is not approved and validated before July 1st and the 
officers of any affected municipality determine that the property taxes must be committed 
in a timely manner to the collector pursuant to Title 36, section 709, the municipal 
assessor or assessors may commit the property taxes on the basis of the latest budget 
approved at a regional school unit budget meeting and submitted to the voters for 
validation at a referendum in accordance with section 1486. 
SUMMARY 
This bill amends the regional school unit budget validation process.  Current law 
requires that, if the budget is not validated at the budget validation referendum, the 
process must be repeated until a budget is approved at a regional school unit budget 
meeting and validated at referendum and, if the budget is not approved and validated 
before July 1st of each year, then the latest budget approved at a regional school unit 
budget meeting and submitted to the voters for validation at a referendum in accordance 
with the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 1486 is automatically considered the 
budget for the ensuing year until a final budget is approved.  This bill requires that, if the 
budget approved at the regional school unit budget meeting does not gain approval by 
voters at the budget validation referendum, the process must be repeated until a budget is 
validated at referendum, except that, when a regional school unit has conducted a 
minimum of 2 regional school unit budget meetings and 2 budget validation referenda 
prior to August 30th, the budget approved at the last regional school unit budget meeting 
becomes the budget for the fiscal year.  If a regional school unit has not conducted 2 such 
cycles of budget meetings and referenda by August 30th, the regional school unit is 
required to conduct 2 complete budget approval cycles, if necessary, without a time limit, 
and, if the regional school unit conducts 2 full cycles of budget meetings and referenda 
and the budget is not validated at referendum, the budget approved at the last regional 
school unit budget meeting becomes the budget for the fiscal year.