AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) _ A bill that would promote private fundraising for Maine's school for the deaf will go forward to the legislature in the coming session.
The proposal by Sen. Cathy Breen, a Falmouth Democrat, seeks to make it easier for Maine Educational Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing to raise money. The school recently started a fundraising drive and officials learned that state law bars them from soliciting and accepting private money.
Breen says her bill would level the playing field, because other Maine public schools are allowed to engage in private fundraising. A nonprofit foundation is also already interested in working with the school.
The Legislative Committee originally rejected Breen's bill in October, but it reverse its decision on Nov. 19. The upcoming legislative sessions begins in January.