The supporters of two competing jail consolidation proposals recently announced a tentative agreement on a new plan they will submit to the Legislature for consideration.

  Governor Baldacci and represen- tatives from Maine's counties and sheriffs' departments have held meetings to produce legislation which would replace prior jail consolidation plans. The compromise will create a unified system that will give space management oversight to the State Department of Corrections, while preserving local control of daily operations to county sheriffs.

Other highlights of the new jail plan include the creation of a nine-member State Board of Corrections that will decide the best use for county facilities. It will also approve budgets and develop a plan for cost savings through bulk purchasing. All current county jail employees will remain county employees and the State will assume the jail debt service of counties, which is currently $10.25 million per year. The plan will also cap property tax assessments at their current level.

  The new plan will receive hearings and work sessions in the Legislature's Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee. All hearings and work sessions can be heard through an internet stream by visiting the Legislature's website at http://janus.state.me.us/legis/ .

A bill before the Legislature's Education Committee gained tentative approval from a majority of the committee members. The legislation would require free or reduced-priced breakfast to be served to all students who qualify for free or reduced-priced lunch.

The committee voted 7-2 last week to approve the bill with amendments. Opponents of the bill cited their concern that funds would be appropriated in an inequitable way to school districts and that the legislation would create an unfunded mandate for those districts that do not currently have a breakfast program.

The bill is pegged to cost the state $1.4 million. The funds would come from the state's Fund for Healthy Maine, which is comprised of the state's share of tobacco settlement payments.

  The federal Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services will adopt five rule changes involving healthcare services that will affect all states in the near future.

The changes came with an announcement from state officials that said the changes will cost the state an additional $45 million for fiscal years 2008 and 2009. The changes will affect healthcare services for the elderly, persons with developmental disabilities, school-aged children and persons with men-tal illness. The federal government said the changes were made to help keep the spiraling cost of Medicaid under control.

The two state agencies that are most affected are the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education. The changes will occur in the areas of tar-geted case management, rehabilita-tion services, hospital outpatient physician services, administrative and transportation services and cer-tified public expenditures.

To learn more about the federal rule changes and to view a PowerPoint presentation, you can visit www.maine.gov/education/me

dicaid.html .