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An Act To Require That School Budget Referenda Be Held on the Same Day as Primary Elections
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §1482-A, first ¶, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 668, §17, is amended to read:
A regional school unit board shall hold a regional school unit budget meeting at a time it determinesno later than 30 days before the date of the statewide primary or referendum election in June or the 2nd Tuesday in June if a statewide primary or referendum election is not held in June that year.
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §1486, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2009, c. 571, Pt. QQQ, §2, is further amended to read:
 
2. Validation referendum procedures.   The budget validation referendum must be held on or before the 30th calendar day following the scheduled date of the regional school unit budget meeting. The referendum may not be held on a Sunday or legal holidaythe same date as the statewide primary or referendum election in June or on the 2nd Tuesday in June if a statewide primary or referendum election is not held in June that year. The vote at referendum is for the purpose of approving or rejecting the total regional school unit budget approved at the regional school unit budget meeting. The regional school unit board shall provide printed information to be displayed at polling places to assist voters in voting. That information is limited to the total amounts proposed by the regional school unit board for each cost center summary budget category article, the amount approved at the regional school unit budget meeting, a summary of the total authorized expenditures and, if applicable because of action on an article under section 15690, subsection 3, paragraph A, a statement that the amount approved at the regional school unit budget meeting includes locally raised funds that exceed the maximum state and local spending target pursuant to section 15671-A, subsection 5.
Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §1486, sub-§3, ¶D, as amended by PL 2007, c. 668, §20, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:
 
D.  Absentee ballots must be available to voters on the day after the regional school unit budget meeting. The deadline to request an absentee ballot from the municipal clerk is the 3rd business day prior to the budget validation referendum election. The deadline to submit an absentee ballot to the municipal clerk is the close of the polls.
Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §1486, sub-§3, ¶E, as amended by PL 2007, c. 668, §20, is further amended to read:
 
E. All envelopes containing absentee ballots received before the day after the conclusion of the regional school unit budget meeting or after the close of the polls must be marked "rejected" by the municipal clerk. [PL 2007, c. 668, § 20 (AMD).]
Sec. 5. 20-A MRSA §1488, as enacted by PL 2007, c. 240, Pt. XXXX, §13, is amended to read:
§ 1488.Special budget meeting
The regional school unit board may call a special budget meeting when it declares that an emergency exists. The voters of the regional school unit may authorize the regional school unit board at a special regional school unit budget meeting to expend additional funds from the regional school unit's undesignated fund balance or to pledge the credit of the regional school unit to obtain additional money for the operation of schools. A special budget meeting held on or after July 1, 2008 must be conducted in accordance with sections 1485 and 1486, except that a regional school unit board may call a special budget meeting at a time it determines and the budget validation referendum must be held on or before the 30th calendar day following the scheduled date of the special budget meeting. The referendum may not be held on a Sunday or legal holiday.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires a regional school unit board to hold a regional school unit budget meeting no later than 30 days before the date of the statewide primary or referendum election in June or the 2nd Tuesday in June if a statewide primary or referendum election is not held in June that year and requires the budget validation referendum to be held on the same date as the statewide primary or referendum election in June or on the 2nd Tuesday in June if a statewide primary or referendum election is not held in June that year. The bill changes the provisions governing absentee ballots for a budget validation referendum.