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LD858 • 2025

An Act to Ensure Behavioral and Mental Health Services Are Available to Students by Providing Grants to Schools That Contract for Those Services

An Act to Ensure Behavioral and Mental Health Services Are Available to Students by Providing Grants to Schools That Contract for Those Services

Education
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Representative Lori Gramlich
Last action
2026-01-11
Official status
Became Law without Governor's Signature
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to Ensure Behavioral and Mental Health Services Are Available to Students by Providing Grants to Schools That Contract for Those Services

An Act to Ensure Behavioral and Mental Health Services Are Available to Students by Providing Grants to Schools That Contract for Those Services Sponsor: Representative Lori Gramlich Reference committee: Education and Cultural Affairs Governor action: Became Law without Governor's Signature

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Ensure Behavioral and Mental Health Services Are Available to Students by Providing Grants to Schools That Contract for Those Services Sponsor: Representative Lori Gramlich Reference committee: Education and Cultural Affairs Governor action: Became Law without Governor's Signature

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Adopted by House & Senate

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR1832(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR1832(02) COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 858 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • H- ) 3EDUCATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS 4 Reproduced and distributed under the direction of the Clerk of the House.
  • 5STATE OF MAINE 6HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 7132ND LEGISLATURE 8FIRST SPECIAL SESSION 9 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT “ ” to H.P.
Sponsored By Senator Rotundo of Androscoggin , Adopted by House & Senate

Plain English: Page 1 - 132LR1832(04) SENATE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.

  • Page 1 - 132LR1832(04) SENATE AMENDMENT 1 L.D.
  • 858 2 Date: (Filing No.
  • S- ) 3 Reproduced and distributed under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate.
  • 4STATE OF MAINE 5SENATE 6132ND LEGISLATURE 7FIRST SPECIAL SESSION 8 SENATE AMENDMENT “ ” to H.P.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-11 Governor

    Became Law without Governor's Signature

  2. 2025-07-08 Senate

    HELD BY THE GOVERNOR.

  3. 2025-06-25 House

    PASSED TO BE ENACTED . Sent for concurrence. ORDERED SENT FORTHWITH.

  4. 2025-05-23 Committee

    Reported Out; OTP-AM/ONTP

  5. 2025-05-09 Committee

    Work Session Held

  6. 2025-05-09 Committee

    Voted; Divided Report

  7. 2025-03-04 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Ensure Behavioral and Mental Health Services Are Available to Students by Providing Grants to Schools That Contract for Those Services
Sponsor:
Representative Lori Gramlich
Reference committee:
Education and Cultural Affairs
Governor action:
Became Law without Governor's Signature

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Page 1 - 132LR1832(06)
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE
_____
H.P. 544 - L.D. 858
An Act to Ensure Behavioral and Mental Health Services Are Available to
Students by Providing Grants to Schools That Contract for Those Services
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA c. 223, sub-c. 10, headnote is amended to read:
SUBCHAPTER 10
YOUTH BEHAVIORAL AND MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §6672 is enacted to read:
§6672. Behavioral and mental health grant program
1. Grant program. The department shall establish and administer a grant program to
provide grants to school administrative units that contract for behavioral and mental health
services provided by licensed behavioral and mental health service providers.
2. Limitation on use of funds. Funds provided under the grant program under this
section may be used only for behavioral and mental health services that are not otherwise
covered or reimbursable through the MaineCare program. Funds must be used in a manner
that ensures that contracted behavioral and mental health service providers do not supplant
qualified and available school administrative unit behavioral and mental health staff.
3. Grant program funding based on population. In administering the grant program
under this section, the department shall provide grant funds according to the population of
a school administrative unit as follows:
A. Two hundred fifty or fewer students, $3,000;
B. Two hundred fifty-one students to 500 students, $6,000; and
C. More than 500 students, $9,000.
Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and
allocations are made.
LAW WITHOUT
GOVERNOR'S
SIGNATURE

JANUARY 11, 2026
CHAPTER
533
PUBLIC LAW
Page 2 - 132LR1832(06)
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF
School and Student Supports Z270
Initiative: Provides one-time funds in fiscal year 2025-26 and fiscal year 2026-27 only for
grants to school administrative units for contracted behavioral and mental health services
for students. The grants are based on the population of each school administrative unit.
GENERAL FUND 2025-26 2026-27
All Other $100,000 $100,000
__________ __________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL $100,000 $100,000