An Act To Strengthen the School Transportation Workforce (AFTER DEADLINE)
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1641
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: HERBIG, CUDDY, MILLETT, DAUGHTRY, DODGE, FECTEAU, PERRY
Amends: 20-A MRSA §5403, 26 MRSA §1192

Legislative Document
No. 1641
S.P. 531
In Senate, April 25, 2019
An Act To Strengthen the School Transportation Workforce
(AFTER DEADLINE)
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
205.
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator HERBIG of Waldo.
Cosponsored by Representative CUDDY of Winterport and
Senator: MILLETT of Cumberland, Representatives: DAUGHTRY of Brunswick, DODGE of 
Belfast, FECTEAU of Biddeford, PERRY of Bangor.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §5403 is enacted to read:
§5403.  Fund for Transportation Training
1.  Fund created.  The Fund for Transportation Training, referred to in this section as 
"the fund," is created to assist in financing the cost of local and regional training for 
public school bus drivers.  The fund is a dedicated, nonlapsing account within the 
department.
2.  Use of fund.  The department shall award grants from the fund to school 
administrative units for training developed and delivered by them to school bus drivers 
between academic years.
3.  Sources of money.  The fund consists of amounts appropriated or allocated by the 
State and any gifts or grants made to the department for the purpose of deposit in the 
fund.
4.  Rules.  The department may adopt rules to implement this section.  Rules adopted 
pursuant to this subsection are major substantive rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 2.  26 MRSA §1192, sub-§7, ¶B, as amended by PL 1983, c. 13, §7, is 
further amended to read:
B.  With respect to weeks of unemployment beginning after September 3, 1982, in 
any other capacity for an educational institution, benefits shall may not be paid on the 
basis of those services to any individual for any week which that commences during a 
period between 2 successive academic years or terms if the individual performs those 
services in the first of the academic years or terms and there is annual written 
reasonable assurance that the individual will perform the services in the 2nd of that 
those academic year years or terms; except that if benefits are denied to any 
individual under this paragraph and the individual was not offered an opportunity to 
perform the services for the educational institution for the 2nd of those academic 
years or terms, the individual shall be is entitled to a retroactive payment of benefits 
for each week for which the individual filed a timely claim for benefits and for which 
benefits were denied solely by reason of this paragraph.  Notwithstanding this 
paragraph, a school bus driver employed by a school administrative unit as defined in 
Title 20-A, section 1, subsection 26 may be paid on the basis of services rendered in a 
prior academic year;
SUMMARY
This bill allows public school bus drivers to collect unemployment benefits over the 
summer.  It also creates a nonlapsing fund to award grants to school administrative units 
for training for school bus drivers between academic years.