130th MAINE LEGISLATURE
LD 1727 LR 248(06)
An Act Concerning Sexual Misconduct on College Campuses
Fiscal Note for Bill as Engrossed with:
C "A" (S-554)
S "A" (S-625) to C "A" (S-554)
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
             
Fiscal Note
FY 2021-22 FY 2022-23 Projections  FY 2023-24 Projections  FY 2024-25
Net Cost (Savings)
General Fund $0 $0 $811,500 $851,500
Appropriations/Allocations
General Fund $0 $863,500 $811,500 $851,500
Federal Expenditures Fund $0 $500 $500 $500
Other Special Revenue Funds $0 $500 $500 $500
Transfers
General Fund $0 $863,500 $0 $0
Other Special Revenue Funds $0 ($863,500) $0 $0
Fiscal Detail and Notes
This bill includes General Fund appropriations totaling $863,500 in fiscal year 2022-23 for the costs associated with addressing sexual misconduct on college campuses. Of that amount, $787,500 is for the ongoing costs to the University of Maine System (UMS), the Maine Community College System (MCCS) and Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) to contract for the services of a confidential resource advisor at each of their campuses, with UMS receiving $393,750, MCCS receiving $344,531 and MMA receiving $49,219.
The remaining $76,000 is appropriated in fiscal year 2022-23 to a newly established Higher Education Interpersonal Violence Advisory Commission Fund within the Department of Education for costs associated with supporting the work of the commission. Of that amount, $40,000 is provided in fiscal year 2022-23 and every other year thereafter for the cost of developing the interpersonal violence climate survey for dissemination to institutions of higher education. A General Fund appropriation of $20,000 is provided in fiscal year 2022-23 for the costs to establish a data repository for the survey results. The estimated cost to maintain the data repository is $8,000 per year beginning in fiscal year 2023-24. Finally, $16,000 per year is provided for the costs of staffing the commission and coordinating and validating the data collected from the survey. This bill also includes Other Special Revenue Funds and Federal Expenditures Fund base allocations of $500 in fiscal year 2022-23 to authorize expenditure of any funding received from federal, public or private sources to support the work of the commission.
The bill offsets the General Fund appropriations in fiscal year 2022-23 by transfering $363,500 from the Department of Administrative and Financial Services Medical Use of Marijuana Fund, Other Special Revenue Funds account and $500,000 from the Liquor Operation Revenue Fund within the Maine Municipal Bond Bank to the unappropriated surplus of the General Fund no later than June 30, 2023. 
Any additional costs to the Department of Health and Human Services to be a part of The Higher Education Interpersonal Violence Advisory Commission are expected to be minor and can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources.