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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Greetings All: Please find the two attached documents and
e-mail below from Dustin Brooks, Preti Flaherty's Government Relations Liasson following
the e-mail below from Skip Greenlaw. My apologies for duplicity in
advance, if you have received this more than once however, time is short and
the hour late. Have a good weekend. Mark<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> skip greenlaw
[mailto:skipg@midmaine.com] <br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, January 22, 2010 6:45 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> skipgreenlaw<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Education Committee hearings<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Good
evening everyone,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>It
is nice to be communicating with you all.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Many
of you probably already know that the legislative Education Committee is
considering several bills for amending the school district consolidation
law, which will hopefully be consolidated (no pun intended) into one bill.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>LD
1732, An Act to Allow a Municipality To Withdraw from a Regional School
Unit will be presented by Rep. Lisa Miller of Somerville (near Augusta) before
the Education Committee on Monday, January 25 at 1 PM in the Cross State office
Building in Augusta. This proposal is based on the withdrawal
procedure in the old SAD law. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>LD
!735, An Act to Waive Certain Penalties Imposed against School Administrative
Units if the State Has Not Fulfilled Its Goal of Paying 55% of Costs will
be presented by Rep. Peggy Rotundo of Lewiston. This bill essentially
waives the penalty until the State of Maine pays 55% of the aggregate cost of
education in Maine. Although I'd rather have the penalty repealed
permanently, it will be a long, long time (if ever) before the State funds 55%
of the cost of education. This bill will be heard on Tuesday, January 26
at 2 PM before the Education Committee in the Cross Building.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Works
sessions (where the committee debates and voted on the bill- either
approve or disapprove will be for LD 1732 on Thursday, January 28 at
3:00 PM and on LD 1735 on Friday, January 29 at 9 AM .</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>I
urge any of you who can testify on either of these bills to do so. All
the input we can get from different areas of the state will be very
helpful. Believe it or not the I think that some meaningful amendments
will be enacted.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Please
stay in touch as I shall do the same as these bills wind their way through the
process.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Best
wishes,</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Skip<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> Brooks, Dustin D.
[mailto:DBrooks@preti.com] <br>
<b>Sent:</b> Friday, January 22, 2010 4:17 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> Mark Robinson<br>
<b>Cc:</b> Dick Gould; skip greenlaw; Roger S. Shaw; Walker, Daniel W.<br>
<b>Subject:</b> Reorganization Law Improvement Initiative Update<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'>FOR DISTRIBUTION TO INTERESTED PARTIES</span><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The
Education Committee will begin its hearings of the bills we're particularly
interested in on Monday, January 25. The committee will spend much of
next week discussing these issues. </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>On
Sunday evening, we will be sending the committee, via e-mail, a letter
outlining our overall requests for changes in this session. We will also
provide a hard copy for them in the committee room on Monday morning.
Subsequent to that, we will testify on the bills we are particularly interested
in and submit language as needed.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>The
schedule is as follows for the two bills that address two of our goals (LD 1732
- Opt Out and LD 1735 - Penalty Repeal). It is not yet clear which bill
will be the "committee bill" in which we hope to put the remainder of
our issues - it may well be a new piece of legislation entirely, or one of the
carry over bills. Please note, it is likely that the concepts in these two
bills could be combined (ideally, with some of our other requests) into a
single, omnibus bill by the committee.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><u><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";
color:black'>Schedule for the Week of January 25</span></u> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Monday,
January 25, 1:00pm - LD 1732 (Opt Out) Public Hearing</span> <br>
<span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Tuesday,
January 26, 2:00pm - LD 1735 (Penalty Repeal) Public Hearing </span><br>
<span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Thursday,
January 28, 3:00pm - LD 1732 (Opt Out) Work Session</span> <br>
<span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Friday,
January 29, 9:00am - LD 1735 (Penalty Repeal) Work Session</span> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Copies
of each piece of legislation are attached. We will be testifying in
support of LD 1732 and in support of an amended version of LD 1735 that would
not dictate a certain amount of local share of funding in order to have
penalties waived.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>We'll
send around a copy of our letter and testimony on Sunday in advance of the
first hearing on Monday.</span> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Let
us know if you have any questions or comments,</span> <br>
<span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:black'>Dustin</span>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Please
feel free to contact Dustin Brooks at 623-5300 or by e-mail </span><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'><a
href="mailto:DBrooks@preti.com">DBrooks@preti.com</a> for more information.</span><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>All
the best. Mark</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Mark Robinson, Town Manager<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Town of Fayette<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>2589 Main Street<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>Fayette, Maine 04349<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>phone (207) 685-4373<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>facsimile (207) 685-9391<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>e-mail: <a href="mailto:markrobinson@fayettemaine.com">markrobinson@fayettemaine.com</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText>web site: <a href="http://www.fayettemaine.com">www.fayettemaine.com</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
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