An Act To Promote Social and Emotional Learning and Development for Young Children
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 0997
Committee Amendment CA_A-SA_A_S334 (Senate)

SENATE AMENDMENT " ft " to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 287, 
L.D. 997, Bill, "An Act To Promote Social and Emotional Learning and Development for 
Young Children" 
Amend the amendment by striking out everything after the title and inserting the 
following: 
'Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec. 1. 34-B MRSA c. 15, sub-c. 2 is enacted to read: 
SUBCHAPTER 2 
EARLY CIDLDHOOD CONSULTATION PROGRAM 
§15011. Statewide voluntary early childhood consultation program 
Beginning September 1, 2020, the commissioner shall implement a statewide 
voluntary early childhood consultation program to provide support, guidance and training 
to improve the abilities and skills of early care and education teachers and providers 
working in public elementary schools, child care facilities as defined in Title 22, section 
8301-A, subsection 1-A, paragraph B, family child care settings and Head Start programs 
serving infants and children who are 8 years of age or younger who are experiencing 
challenging behaviors that put the infants or children at risk of learning difficulties and 
removal from early learning and education settings, and to improve the abilities and skills 
of families and foster parents with infants or children who are 8 years of age or younger 
in the home who are experiencing challenging behaviors that put the infants or children at 
risk of learning difficulties and removal from early learning and education settings. Any 
record about a child created as a result of a consultation under this section must be made 
available to the parents or guardians of that child and may not become part of that child's 
education record. Fifty percent of the costs related to the program implemented under 
this section must be paid from funds provided to the department under the federal child 
and development block grant authorized under the federal Child Care and Development 
Block Grant Act of 1990. 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
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SENATE AMENDMENT" 1 \ "to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 287, L.D. 997 l ' , 
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Sec. 2. Maine Revised Statutes headnote enacted; revision clause. In the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 34-B, chapter 15, after the chapter headnote, the headnote 
"subchapter 1, children's mental health program" is enacted and the Revisor of Statutes 
shall implement this revision when updating, publishing or republishing the statutes. 
Sec. 3. Early childhood consultation program. By September 1, 2020, the 
Department of Health and Human Services shall develop, establish and implement an 
early childhood consultation program under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 34-B, 
chapter 15, subchapter 2, referred to in this section as "the program," to enable trained 
consultants with expertise in the areas of early childhood development and mental health 
to work on-site with early care and education teachers and providers working with 
children to aid them in the use of low-cost or no-cost evidence-based strategies that 
reduce challenging behaviors in children and promote social-emotional growth; to 
provide guidance to parents about effective ways to address their children's behavioral 
difficulties; and to connect children and families to programs, resources and supports that 
will assist them in their development and success, while addressing barriers to accessing 
these resources and supports. The department shall design the program in consultation 
with the national Center of Excellence for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health 
Consultation, a project funded by the United States Department of Health and Human 
Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the Children's 
Cabinet established in Title 5, chapter 439 and key stakeholders in the State, including 
mental health professionals delivering mental health consultation within the State. In 
developing the program, the department shall: 
1. Develop standards and guidelines to ensure that the program is implemented with 
primary consideration given to the core elements of evidence-based services as adapted 
for the State's unique rural character. The guidelines must include effective strengths-
based strategies and plans that support children's success across learning environments. 
The standards must include knowledge of research-informed infant and early childhood 
mental health practices, family circumstances that affect children's behavior and mental 
health, developmental science and milestones, mental health, trauma-informed 
approaches, adverse childhood experiences, sensory processing issues, poverty, disability 
and community supports, resources and services available to a child and the child's family 
to alleviate family stress; 
2. Explore enhancing cross-sector professional development capacity in the State 
through partnerships with entities such as the national Center of Excellence for Infant and 
Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation; 
3. Develop and implement a plan for consultants to provide individualized on-site 
coaching as requested by teachers, caregivers and families. 
The plan may include 
professional development in the form of group training and communities of practice that 
include professionals, such as home visitors or child welfare staff, who work with young 
children and families. The plan must reinforce and extend the supports provided by early 
childhood mental health consultants to people providing professional development in 
early childhood and public school settings; 
4. Develop a system for collecting and analyzing implementation data and selected 
outcomes to identify areas for improvement, promote accountability and provide 
continuous quality improvement and service delivery to improve child outcomes by 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
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SENATE AMENDMENT" (1 "to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A"to S.P. 287, L.D. 997 l ~) -:>-SL'/) 
providing feedback, including feedback from department staff and community 
consultation staff. Data collected must include specific data related to age, gender, race 
and disability; 
5. Develop and implement a plan for establishing, training and certifying a roster of 
community-based qualified mental health consultants with the specialized knowledge, 
skills and experience to effectively coach families, teachers, providers and program 
directors to promote a child's social and emotional health and reduce challenging 
behaviors. Early childhood consultants must be mental health professionals licensed 
under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 32, section 3831, subsection 2; section 7053, 
subsection 1, paragraph A; or section 13858, subsection 2 or 3. The training must include 
training related to the following: trauma; adverse childhood experiences; resilience; 
trauma-informed practices; child development from birth to 8 years of age including 
appropriate developmental and behavioral expectations; effects of substance use; sensory 
processing issues; needs of children with disabilities, including special education law; the 
State's child protection and foster care system; other disciplines such as occupational 
therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy and mental health therapy; and public and 
private supports and services, including the Women, Infants and Children Special 
Supplemental Food Program of the federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966; the Child 
Development Services System under Title 20-A, section 7209; the divisions within the 
Department of Health and Human Services concerned with children's behavioral health 
services; case management; and entitlement programs. Consultants must also receive 
training that is regionally appropriate to understand the programs, resources and supports 
in their region or community in order to link children, families and professionals to them. 
The training must also include training in cultural competence to ensure consultants 
understand the needs of the ethnically diverse communities they may be serving and how 
to form relationships to provide the unique services needed to support those populations; 
6. Develop and implement a plan for supervision of early childhood consultation and 
outreach staff that includes administrative, clinical and reflective supervision; and 
7. 
Develop and implement a plan in conjunction with staff from the Child 
Development Services System under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 
7209 for how early childhood consultants can support children, families and staff who 
intersect with the Child Development Services System, particularly as the plan relates to 
children who are referred for behavior issues. 
Sec. 4. Early implementation. The Department of Health and Human Services 
shall provide support, guidance and training under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 
34-B, chapter 15, subchapter 2 in 5 locations prior to implementation of the statewide 
voluntary early childhood consultation program in Title 34-B, chapter 15, subchapter 2. 
Sec. 5. Report. The Department of Health and Human Services shall submit a 
report by January 1, 2021 to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having 
jurisdiction over health and human services matters regarding the status of the statewide 
voluntary early childhood consultation program in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 
34-B, chapter 15, subchapter 2 and the program's ability to provide support and guidance 
to families, early care and education teachers and providers working with children. The 
joint standing committee may submit legislation related to the report to the First Regular 
Session of the 130th Legislature. 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
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SENATE AMENDMENT'')-) "to COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to S.P. 287, L.D. 997 ( 
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Sec. 6. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF 
Early Childhood Consultation Program N323 
Initiative: Allocates funds necessary to design and implement a statewide voluntary early 
childhood consultation program beginning September 1, 2020. 
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND 
All Other 
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND TOTAL 
Early Childhood Consultation Program N323 
2019-20 
$424,040 
$424,040 
2020-21 
$440,341 
$440,341 
Initiative: Provides ongoing funds for one Regional Education Representative position 
and one Office Associate II position and related All Other funding necessary to design 
and implement a statewide voluntary early childhood consultation program beginning 
September 1, 2020. 
GENERAL FUND 
POSITIONS - LEGISLATIVE COUNT 
Personal Services 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, 
DEPARTMENT OF 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
GENERAL FUND 
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL-ALL FUNDS 
2019-20 
2.000 
$109,446 
$314,594 
$424,040 
2019-20 
$424,040 
$424,040 
$848,080 
2020-21 
2.000 
$182,876 
$257,465 
$440,341 
2020-21 
$440,341 
$440,341 
$880,682 
Amend the amendment by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter 
or section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment changes the responsibility for the statewide voluntary early 
childhood consultation program from the Department of Education to the Department of 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
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SENATE AMENDMENT" /1 "to COMMITTEEAMENDMENT"A"to S.P. 287, L.D. 997 ( ~)· ··~·:sci) 
Health and Human Services and makes other minor changes to reflect the change in 
responsibility. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
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SPONSORED BY:___,--.___,-~~---~~~~~~-
COUNTY: Cumberland 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 06/18/19 feae 
LD997 
LR 108(05) 
An Act To Promote Social and Emotional Learning and Development for Young Children 
Fiscal Note for Senate Amendment "ll' to Committee Amendment "A" ( ,) 3 -:>'-I) 
Sponsor: Sen. Breen of Cumberland 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
General Fund 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Federal Block Grant Fund 
Revenue 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
Federal Block Grant Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2019-20 
$0 
$0 
($424,040) 
$424,040 
($424,040) 
$424,040 
FY2020-21 
$0 
$0 
($440,341) 
$440,341 
($440,341) 
$440,341 
Projections 
FY 2021-22 
$0 
$0 
($446,741) 
$446,741 
($446,741) 
$446,741 
Projections 
FY2022-23 
$0 
$u 
($453,366) 
$453,366 
($453,366) 
$453,366 
This amendment moves the program to the Department of Health and Human Services and moves half of the funding 
of the program from Other Special Revenue Funds to the Child Care Development Block Grant. 
LR0108(05) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1