An Act To Establish a Process for the Consideration and Implementation of Changes to School Curricula
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1860
Committee Amendment CA_A_H740 (House)
Committee: Proposed Legislation
Amends: 5 MRSA §12004, 20-A MRSA §4710-C

A 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "rl " to H.P. 1331, L.D. 1860, Bill, "An Act To 
Establish a Process for the Consideration and Implementation of Changes to School 
Curricula" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act To Establish a Process for the Consideration and Implementation of 
Changes to Mandated Instruction or Training for Students' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §12004-1, sub-§18-G is enacted to read: 
18-G. 
Education 
Review Committee 
Not Authorized 
on Proposed 
Legislation 
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §4710-C is enacted to read: 
20-AMRSA 
§4710-C 
§4710-C. 
Establishment or substantial expansion of mandated instruction or 
training 
A joint standing committee of the Legislature that considers proposed legislation to 
establish mandated instruction or training for students in elementary or secondary school 
not required under this Title or rules adopted pursuant to this Title or to substantially 
expand mandated instruction or training for students in elementary or secondary school 
shall evaluate the proposed legislation in accordance with this section. 
1. Request to commissioner. Upon the referral to a joint standing committee of the 
Legislature of legislation that proposes new or substantially expanded mandated 
instruction or training, the joint standing committee shall hold a public hearing and 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
ROFS 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,fi "to H.P. 1331, L.D. 1860 
briefly and informally review the proposal. 
Following this informal review, the 
committee shall: 
A. Request that the commissioner convene the review committee established in 
subsection 2 and report the review committee's findings and recommendations to the 
joint standing committee by a specific date established in consultation with the 
department; or 
· 
B. Hold a work session to work and vote on the proposed legislation. 
2. 
Review Committee on Proposed Legislation. 
The Review Committee on 
Proposed Legislation, referred to in this section as "the review committee," is established. 
The commissioner shall appoint members to the review committee including teachers, 
administrators and content specialists within the department and a representative of an 
association of statewide curriculum leaders to evaluate any proposals governed under 
subsection 1. 
3. Evaluation. Upon a request by a joint standing committee of the Legislature 
under subsection I, paragraph A, the review committee shall review the legislation that 
proposes to establish or substantially expand mandated instruction or training and shall 
identify whether the subject of the proposal is already addressed within existing courses 
of study aligned with the system of learning results as established in section 6209. If the 
subject of the proposal is not already addressed within existing courses of study, the 
review committee shall analyze the positive and negative effects of establishing or 
substantially expanding the mandated instruction or training contained in the proposal 
and shall specifically consider issues of availability of resources, costs to implement the 
proposal, staff expertise, the number of required courses of study that exist in accordance 
with the system of learning results and the available hours of instruction. The review 
committee shall invite the sponsor of the proposed legislation to participate in the 
evaluation. 
4. Findings and recommendations. The commissioner shall submit and present a 
final report containing the review committee's findings and recommendations to the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature that requested the review pursuant to this section 
that includes any legislation required to implement the recommendations. The review 
committee may recommend that no legislative action be taken on a proposal. 
5. Rulemaking. The commissioner shall adopt rules to implement this section. 
Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.' 
5 
Amend the bill by re lettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment does the following. 
1. It establishes the Review Committee on Proposed Legislation as a board with 
minimal authority and provides that members are not entitled to compensation. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 'fl" to H.P. 1331, L.D. 1860 
2. It requires the joint standing committee of the Legislature that considers proposed 
legislation that would establish or substantially expand mandated instruction or training 
for students in elementary or secondary school to hold a public hearing on the proposal 
and then either vote to request that the Commissioner of Education convene the Review 
Committee on Proposed Legislation to review the proposal and report to the joint 
standing committee by a specific date chosen in consultation with the Department of 
Education or hold a work session to work and vote on the proposed legislation. 
3. It requires the Commissioner of Education to appoint the Review Committee on 
Proposed Legislation's members, including teachers, administrators and content 
specialists within the Department of Education and a representative of an association of 
statewide curriculum leaders, and requires the review committee to invite the sponsor of 
the proposed legislation to participate in its evaluation. 
4. 
It adds that, as part of the evaluation, the Review Committee on Proposed 
Legislation must analyze the positive and negative effects of the proposed legislation and 
the costs to implement the proposal. 
5. 
It requires the Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's designee to 
present the final report of the Review Committee on Proposed Legislation to the joint 
standing committee. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 02/18/20 feac.. 
LD 1860 
LR2724(02) 
An Act To Establish a Process for the Consideration and Implementation of Changes to School 
Curricula 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment #•(// -
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Minor cost increase - General Fund 
Additional costs to the Department of Education to implement the requirements of this legislation can be absorbed 
within existing budgeted resources. 
LR2724(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1