ENACTED (12 sponsored and 3 cosponsored):
- LD 1627: An Act To Implement Certain Recommendations of the Maine Proficiency Education Council.
…adds transcript-based credentials for student learning, phases in proficiency graduation requirements, clarifies alternate pathways to proficiency for students in CTE programs and students with disabilities
Enacted, signed by Governor on 4/19/2016 - LD 1253: An Act To Improve the Evaluation of Public Schools
…directs a more comprehensive, meaningful, and transparent state system for assuring school accountability for providing sufficient capacity for student learning in alignment with new federal requirements
Enacted, Governor’s veto overridden on 4/29/2016 - LD 3 An Act To Ensure Consistent Certification of Graduation Standards in Publicly Funded Secondary Schools
…clarifies that public charter schools are subject to Maine’s learning standards, proficiency-based diplomas, and the state’s assessment system.
Enacted, signed by Governor on 4/30/2015 - LD 38 An Act To Allow Sufficient Time for Implementation of the Performance Evaluation and Professional Growth System for Educators
…extends by one year the phased stages to implement educator evaluation systems for schools.
Enacted without Governor’s signature on 4/12/2015 - LD 131 An Act To Amend the Laws Related to Public Funding of Charter Schools
…transfers to the state the liability for the full public allocation for charter school funding. (Recognized as the second most important bill of the session in a Press Herald op-ed)
Enacted, signed by Governor on 5/08/2015 - LD 462: An Act To Clarify Rulemaking for Transportation of Public School Students
…technical bill on behalf of the Department of Education
Enacted without Governor’s signature on 5/12/2015 - LD 692: An Act Regarding Educator Effectiveness
…compromise negotiated to preserve both Maine’s local teacher evaluation systems and federal waiver from requirements of ‘No Child Left Behind.’ (Commended in Bangor Daily News editorial.)
Enacted, signed by Governor on 3/17/2015 - LD 840: An Act To Support the Implementation of Proficiency-based Diplomas and Standards-based Student Learning
…directs the Department of Education to annually collect and report data on the progress of public schools and public charter schools towards the implementation of proficiency-based diplomas.
Enacted without Governor’s signature on 7/12/2015 - LD 853: An Act to Allow Secondary Schools to Grant Intermediate Certificates of Academic Proficiency
…clarifies that public schools may award certification of proficiency to students for each content area in Maine’s Learning results and report this data to the Department of Education. Permits the Department of Education to collect and report data aggregated from school administrative units.
Enacted without Governor’s signature on 7/12/2015 - LD 1173: An Act To Improve School Administrative Efficiency and Expand Capacity for Professional Growth
…establishes criteria for providing grant funds to regional education collaboratives from the Fund for the Efficient Delivery of Educational Services to expand access to professional development, training, and support for teachers and school administrators.
Enacted, veto overidden on 6/23/2015 - LD 1517: An Act To Enable an Alternative Organizational Structure To Purchase Group Health Insurance for Its Employees
…Allows schools that negotiate common employment contracts to purchase a single policy for employee benefits
Enacted, veto overidden on 3/31/2016 - LD 1576: An Act To Amend Certain Education Laws
…Protects schools from additional liability for special education expenses from state-directed student transfers.
Enacted without Governor’s signature on 4/10/2016
Cosponsored bills ENACTED:
- LD 1053: An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Stimulate Investment in Innovation by Maine Businesses To Produce Nationally and Globally Competitive Products and Services
…$50M bond for competitive grants for research and development
Enacted, signed by Governor on 4/15/2016 - LD 1230: An Act To Create a Digital Portal for Education
…creates a digital content library, which makes digital educational content and learning resources available to all students through a method determined by the Commissioner of Education and based upon the recommendations of a digital content library advisory group.
Enacted, veto overidden on 7/16/2016 - LD 1263: An Act To Create Jobs and Promote Investment in Maine’s Economy through Increased Access to Solar Energy
…directs the Public Utilities Commission to convene a stakeholder group to develop an alternative to net energy billing.
—Maine Bills Could Unlock Solar Future, if Lawmakers Show the Will to Move Forward
Enacted, veto overidden on 6/30/2015
Sponsored bills which did not become law
- LD 1394: An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To Strengthen the Adequacy and Equity of Certain Cost Components of the School Funding Formula
…Education Committee bill to implement recommendations of the school funding commission which I chaired.
Enacted, vetoed by Governor on 4/20/2016 - LD 2: An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue for the Purchase and Development of the Bar Harbor Ferry Terminal as a Multimodal Transportation Facility
The funds this bill sought were included in the larger $85M transportation bond bill which the legislature approved, the Governor signed, and the voters approved in November, 2015.
- LD 205: An Act To Facilitate the Development and Operation of a Group Home for Post-High School Adults with Developmental Disabilities
This bill which sought to support the development of the ‘Local Solutions’ house in Bar Harbor, proved to be unnecessary. Expanded funding for Local Solutions’ residents is incorporated in the new state budget.
- LD 391: Resolve, To Create a State-run Virtual Academy Providing Maine Students with Access to Online Learning through Their Existing School Districts
The concept of this bill was amended into a different bill, LD 1230: An Act To Create a Digital Portal for Education
- LD 601: An Act To Clarify the Authority of Individualized Education Plans in Relation to Proficiency-based Diplomas
…The aim of this bill was included in another bill, LD 1235: Resolve, To Strengthen Standards-based Diplomas
- LD 1207: Resolve, To Implement an Online Professional Development Platform for Teachers and Educators
…The concept of this bill was amended into a different bill, LD 1230: An Act To Create a Digital Portal for Education
- LD 405: An Act To Support Expanded Capacity for Breeding Wild Atlantic Salmon in Downeast Rivers
…sought to solicit and fund proposals to expand successful salmon hatcheries on Washington County rivers.
Cosponsored bills which did not become law
- LD 415: An Act To Promote the Safe Use and Sale of Firearms
Sought a compromise solution to the private sale ‘loophole’ of the sales of firearms by making available “strict liability” legal protection to sellers using background checks for private transactions.
- LD 471: An Act To Improve Childhood Vaccination Rates in Maine
…sought to require a parent or guardian who is seeking a philosophical exemption to routine childhood vaccination when enrolling a child in school or a licensed daycare facility to present written documentation signed by a healthcare practitioner that the health care practitioner has reviewed with the parent information about the risks and benefits of immunization that is consistent with information published by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
—Victory for vaccine foes puts Maine kids at risk, Editorial, Press Herald, July 6, 2015 - LD 956: An Act To Create Community Schools
This bill was incorporated into the new state budget.
- LD 1270: An Act Regarding Patient-directed Care at the End of Life
…enacts a process for patient-directed care at the end of life for Maine residents who are adults who are terminally ill and who have been determined to have a limited life expectancy. Provides that such a patient has a right to information and includes requirements for patient and physician action and documentation in the patient’s medical records of the steps taken. Authorizes a physician to prescribe a medication that the patient may self-administer for the purpose of hastening the patient’s death. Provides protections for the physician, the patient’s health care facility and health care providers. Protects the patient’s life insurance and the health care providers’ medical professional liability insurance. Protects the patient’s right to palliative care. Specifically states that nothing in the provisions of the bill may be construed to authorize a physician or other person to end a patient’s life by lethal injection, mercy killing or active euthanasia.
—Dying Mainers deserve right to make final choice in life, Editorial, Press Herald, June 3, 2015 - LD 795: An Act To Encourage Prudent Development along the Coast or in a Flood Zone by Considering Predictions for Sea Level Rise
…proposed to enact measures that would require sea level model predictions to be taken into account in the design phase of any development project on the coast or in a flood zone if more than 10% of the total funding for the project is state funding. Also proposes to enact measures to require coordination among state and federal agencies, universities and stakeholders concerning development projects on the coast or in a flood zone that may be affected by sea level rise.