Whereas, conditions existing in certain public schools result in a serious inability to provide appropriate education programs and services consistently throughout the State constitute an immediate threat to the health, safety and general welfare of school children, education personnel and citizens throughout the State; and

Whereas, recent analyses of studies conducted by the University of Maine, the Department of Education, the State Board of Education and a stakeholders group of interested parties have determined that the true scope of local school construction needs across the State exceeds the current resources available to meet the present and future health, safety, renovation and new school construction needs throughout the State; and

Whereas, the maximum debt service limits authorized by the Legislature currently constrain the capacity of the State and local municipalities to publicly finance school construction debt service costs; and

Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §15905-B is enacted to read:

§15905-B. Debt service credit for nonstate funded projects

1.__State board approval.__Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter or rule to the contrary, a school administrative unit must be solely responsible for the principal and interest costs of a nonstate funded school construction project approved under section 15905-A until such time as the school administrative unit's project is approved for funding by the state board.__When the school administrative unit's project receives final funding approval from the state board, the sum total of principal and interest costs paid from local funds without state participation must be included in the school administrative unit's debt service costs for state subsidy purposes under section 15603, subsection 8.