Maine lawmakers give preliminary approval for student mental health funding
As the state continues to grapple with its record of not providing adequate behavioral health support for young people, a proposal to make funds available for schools to hire licensed behavioral and mental health experts has received initial backing from the Maine Legislature.
The Maine House of Representatives passed LD 858 on Wednesday with 79 members voting in favor and 68 opposed. The Senate passed it without a roll call vote. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Lori Gramlich (D-Old Orchard Beach), will go back to both chambers for final enactment votes.
The bill establishes a program within the Maine Department of Education to provide grants to districts that contract licensed professionals for behavioral and mental health services. The funds can only be used to cover those not otherwise covered or reimbursable through MaineCare, the state's Medicaid program.
Proponents of the bill — including educators, administrators and medical professionals — say the grant program is much needed as Maine educators are not adequately trained to manage worsening student behavior issues, according to a 2025 Maine Education Policy Research Institute report.
Critics of the proposal said it infringes on a parent's rights when their child seeks counseling at school, and raised concern about the limited information about what kind of services would be covered under the grants.
Gramlich said one in six Maine children have been diagnosed with anxiety, and 7% are struggling with depression. Further, 20% of Maine children have experienced two or more Adverse Childhood Experiences — higher than the national average of 17%. ACEs include experiences like violence or abuse, and the stress and trauma that accompanies them can have a lasting negative impact on a child's wellbeing, according to data from the John T. Gorman Foundation that she cited during the floor discussion Wednesday.
'Some school districts do offer these types of services in a school-based setting, but the current availability of school-based services is nowhere near adequate. Even when these school-based services are currently available, the funding of these services is so lean and precarious that the future of these programs is constantly in question,' she said, of the proposal that will cost $1.3 million in state funding.
'These kids need help now. LD 858 would be an important step toward ensuring Maine students have the mental and behavioral health services they need,' she said.
Rep. Sheila Lyman (R-Livermore Falls) raised concern about what she said was a lack of clarity around the scope of services provided. 'What specific behavioral and mental health interventions are we funding? Who decides what is appropriate for each child, and how will parents be informed or asked for consent?' she asked.
'This bill does not sufficiently protect a parent's right to know and direct the mental and behavioral care their child receives in a school setting,' Lyman said.
The Legislature passed a similar bill last year that died on the special appropriations table, where bills that pass but aren't otherwise provided for in the state budget compete for remaining funds. Those that are not explicitly funded by the budget committee ultimately die.
Maine has a record of not providing adequate youth mental health support. Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state under the Americans with Disabilities Act for unnecessarily segregating children with behavioral health needs and failing to ensure they could thrive in a community-based setting. The state settled last November, with Gov. Janet Mills saying her administration and the Legislature will continue to invest in mental and behavioral health resources.
'We all strongly agree that in-community behavioral health services are critical, and we are committed to continuing to strengthen the delivery of those services for Maine children who need them,' Mills said in a statement at the time. While the settlement agreement required Maine to expand the availability of community-based behavioral health services for children, it did not specifically add any of these services to schools.
The bill, if funded, 'would provide Maine school-aged children with support they need by meeting them where they are most often, and that is their school,' Gramlich said.
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