Bill > LD2214

This bill makes supplemental appropriations and allocations for state government expenditures for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2024, and June 30, 2025, and changes certain provisions of law. * **Department of Public Safety, Safe Homes Program:** $100,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus for one-time funding to support the safe storage of prescription drugs, firearms, and dangerous weapons. * **Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Milk Commission:** $3,000,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus for one-time payments to Maine milk producers to address escalating production costs. * **Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Parks - General Operations:** $3,000,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus for one-time funding to address damage to state parks, historic sites, and public lands from the December 2023 and January 2024 storms. An additional $6,000,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus is also allocated for the same purpose, with a portion to be funded by federal ARP State Fiscal Recovery funds. * **Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Military Training and Operations:** $180,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus to fund costs associated with specific state statutes. * **Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Services and Head Start programs:** Up to $11,772,649 and $1,134,000 respectively, from the General Fund unappropriated surplus to support the Maine Child Care Affordability Program, including a one-time Child Care Stability Grant program and technology improvements. * **Department of Health and Human Services, Nursing Facilities:** $23,247,780 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus for funding components of nursing facility rates, in addition to $15,000,000 from the Nursing Facility Reform Transition Fund for immediate relief. * **Department of Public Safety, Administration - Public Safety:** $3,000,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus to fund first responder overtime costs related to the Lewiston mass casualty event. * **Maine State Housing Authority, Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program and Low-income Housing Tax Credit Program:** $20,000,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus to expand affordable rental and ownership housing options. * **Maine State Housing Authority, Manufactured Home and Mobile Home Park Preservation and Assistance Program:** $5,000,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus to establish a program for preserving housing affordability in manufactured and mobile home parks. * **Department of Corrections, County Jails Operation Fund:** $4,000,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus for county jail operations. * **Department of Health and Human Services, Mental Health Services - Community:** $2,450,193 from the General Fund for strengthening mental health crisis intervention mobile response services, including peer support specialists, law enforcement liaisons, and debriefing services. Additionally, $3,048,490 from the General Fund is allocated for establishing two crisis receiving centers in Aroostook and Penobscot counties. * **Office of Violence Prevention:** $2,877,295 from the General Fund for establishing the office, including positions, outreach, educational materials, and grants for community-based violence intervention initiatives. Federal funds are also allocated for limited-period positions. * **Department of Public Safety, Licensing and Enforcement - Public Safety:** $100,000 from the General Fund for a one-time contract to develop suicide prevention educational materials for gun shops and customers, and $100,000 from the General Fund for developing and implementing public notification procedures for active shooter situations. * **Education Stabilization Fund:** $30,000,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus. * **Maine State Housing Authority, Housing Subsidy Program for Homeless Students:** $2,000,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus for housing subsidies for homeless students. * **Maine State Housing Authority, Stable Home Fund:** $18,000,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus for a pilot program to provide eviction prevention support. * **MaineCare Stabilization Fund:** $23,535,428 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus, with an additional $6,464,572 to be transferred from the fiscal year 2024-25 unappropriated surplus. * **Department of Transportation, Infrastructure Adaptation Fund:** $50,000,000 transferred from the Maine Budget Stabilization Fund for infrastructure adaptation, repair, and improvements. * **Department of Economic and Community Development, Business Recovery and Resilience Fund:** $10,000,000 transferred from the Maine Budget Stabilization Fund for grants to businesses and organizations impacted by severe weather events. * **Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services:** $247,622 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus for post-traumatic wellness for first responders related to the Lewiston event, and $8,500,000 from the General Fund unappropriated surplus for St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center to cover operating losses and sustain behavioral health care. * **State Employee Salary Adjustments:** Up to $99,000,000 from the General Fund and Highway Fund to cover costs associated with collective bargaining agreements for state employees for fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25. * **Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife:** Unexpended balances from previous appropriations are carried forward for database replacement and dam repair. * **Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Information Services:** Unexpended balances are carried forward to fiscal year 2024-25. * **Nursing Facility Reform Transition Fund:** Established to fund components of nursing facility rates starting January 1, 2025, to support transition to a comprehensive rate system. * **Crisis Receiving Centers:** The bill establishes a framework for community-based crisis receiving centers and mandates the establishment of two centers in Aroostook and Penobscot counties. * **Office of Violence Prevention:** Established within the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention to coordinate efforts to reduce violence, including gun violence, and promote research. * **Gun Shop Project:** The Department of Public Safety will administer a project to develop and distribute suicide prevention educational materials through gun shops. * **Law Enforcement Alerts:** Procedures will be developed to notify the public of active shooter situations, including for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. * **Subsidy Program for Homeless Students:** The Maine State Housing Authority will establish a housing subsidy program for homeless students. * **Eviction Prevention Pilot Program:** The Maine State Housing Authority will establish a pilot program providing rental assistance for up to 24 months. * **Maine Veterans' Homes:** Supplemental payments will be made to Maine Veterans' Homes nursing and residential care facilities in fiscal year 2024-25.