An Act To Provide Grants To Schools That Contract For Behavioral And Mental Health Services

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Rick Bennett and 9 co-sponsors

Provides $3 million/year in grants to Maine SAUs via the Department of Education to fund contracted behavioral and mental health services for students (two-year window; bill dead).

Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)

#behavioralandmentalhealthserv #healthcare #schoolprograms

LD 1203 — An Act To Provide Grants To Schools That Contract For Behavioral And Mental Health Services

Status

Status: Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD) pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3

Legislative history highlights:

Introduced: March 20, 2025
Referred to: Education and Cultural Affairs
Work session: May 9, 2025
Voted ONTP: May 9, 2025
Reported ONTP: May 12, 2025
Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD): May 14, 2025
Prior carryover: March 21, 2025, carried over to next session

Purpose and Intent

To provide financial support to schools by funding grants for behavioral and mental health services contracted by school administrative units (SAUs).

Aimed at enhancing access to mental health resources for students by supporting external providers contracted by schools.

Key Provisions

Funding mechanism: One-time General Fund appropriations to the Department of Education.

Amount: $3,000,000 per year.

Fiscal years covered: FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27.

Use of funds: Grants to school administrative units for contracted behavioral and mental health services for students.

Duration: The fiscal note indicates these would be one-time appropriations limited to the two specified fiscal years, with no ongoing funding projected beyond FY 2026-27 (per the fiscal note projections).

Fiscal Impact (as described in the Fiscal Note)

General Fund cost: $3,000,000 in FY 2025-26 and $3,000,000 in FY 2026-27.

General Fund appropriations: $3,000,000 in each of FY 2025-26 and FY 2026-27.

Projections: $0 net cost/savings for FY 2027-28 and FY 2028-29.

Administration: Funds would be distributed to the Department of Education to administer grants to SAUs for contracted services.

Beneficiaries and Scope

Primary beneficiaries: School administrative units (SAUs) in Maine and, by extension, the students they serve.

Purposeful focus: Strengthen access to behavioral and mental health services through contracted providers.

Timeline and Procedural Details

Introduced and referred in March 2025.

Underwent a standard legislative process (committee review, work session, ONTP vote, reporting) in May 2025.

Ultimately placed in Legislative Files as DEAD, indicating the bill did not advance to enactment during this session.

Overall Assessment

LD 1203 would have created a two-year, targeted infusion of $3 million per year to support SAUs in contracting behavioral and mental health services for students, administered by the Department of Education. The bill is currently dead and would require revival in a future session to become law.