Sen. Breen submits emergency bill to support deaf children’s education
AUGUSTA – Democratic Sen. Cathy Breen of Falmouth has submitted a bill for the upcoming legislative session to enable the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to engage in private fundraising to support its mission.
“This simple but necessary change in statute would put the Governor Baxter School on the same level as so many other educational institutions,” said Sen. Breen. “At its core this is about providing equal opportunities for the deaf and hard of hearing students in our state.”
Currently, the school is not permitted to seek additional, private money to supplement state funding and help meet its core mission of providing quality education to deaf and hard-of-hearing students in Maine. The bill submitted by Sen. Breen, LR 2269, “An Act To Promote Private Fundraising for the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf,” would remove this needless prohibition.
All legislation will be presented to the Legislative Council for its approval on Thursday, October 22. If approved by the Council, the Legislature will take up the bills when they reconvene for the second session in January, 2016.
###