An Act To Expand Access to Higher Education and Employment for Youth (AFTER DEADLINE)
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1862
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: STANLEY, COLWELL, BRYANT, HALL, CARR, DUPREY, GOODWIN, RICHARDSON, SHERMAN, SUSLOVIC

Legislative Document 
No. 1862 
S.P.708 
In Senate, February 24, 2004 
An Act To Expand Access to Higher Education and Employment for 
Youth 
(AFTER DEADLINE) 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
205. 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Senator STANLEY of Penobscot. 
Cosponsored by Speaker COLWELL of Gardiner and 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Senators: BRYANT of Oxford, HALL of Lincoln, Representatives: CARR of Lincoln, 
DUPREY of Medway, GOODWIN of Pembroke, RICHARDSON of Brunswick, SHERMAN 
of Hodgdon, SUSLOVIC of Portland. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
PART A 
Sec. A-I. 5 MRSA c. 383, sub-c.I-B is enacted to read: 
SUBCHAPTER I-B 
INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 
§13060-G. 
Internship program 
1. 
Program 
established. 
An 
internship 
program 
is 
established to provide students attending college in the State 
with opportunities to obtain work experience in technology-based 
businesses 
within 
the 
Applied 
Technology 
Development 
Center 
System, established in section 15321, 
and in occupations and 
industries experiencing labor shortages. 
The department shall 
administer the program. 
The department shall consult with the 
University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, 
the Department of Labor and the Applied Technology Development 
Center System in the development of the program. 
The department 
shall consult with the Department of 
Labor 
to define 
labor 
shortage 
areas 
for 
the 
purposes 
of 
this 
program 
and 
shall 
identify annually those industries and occupations that meet the 
definition. 
2. 
Report. 
The department shall report on the progress and 
status of the program to any policy making body established in 
state law to direct a coordinated effort to develop, realign, 
streamline and oversee the State's economic development policy 
and specific efforts to retain and attract young people, to the 
joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction 
over education matters and to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over business matters no later 
than January 15, 2005 and annually thereafter. 
Sec. 
A-2. 
Appropriations 
and 
allocations. 
appropriations and allocations are made. 
ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVEWPMENT, DEPAR'l'MENT OF 
Internship Program 
The 
following 
Initiative: 
Provides funds for the internship program to provide 
college students with opportunities to obtain work experience in 
technology-based businesses 
and in occupations 
and industries 
experiencing labor shortages. 
General Fund 
All Other 
Page l-LR2720(1) 
2003-04 
$0 
2004-05 
$100,000 
General Fund Total 
$0 
$100,000 
PART B. 
Sec. B-1. Boards of trustees of University of Maine System and Maine 
Community College System directed to remove barriers to student transfer 
within and between systems. 
The 
boards 
of 
trustees 
of 
the 
University of Maine System and Maine Community College System 
shall develop and implement a consistent policy regarding the 
transfer of credits between 
campuses within each system 
and 
between the 2 systems. 
The policy must apply to all campuses and 
must not discriminate against any particular campus. 
The policy 
must specifically address the transfer of credits with respect to 
academic 
majors 
and 
minors 
and 
must 
be 
designed 
to 
remove 
barriers to student transfer within and between campuses and to 
facilitate completion of the students' education in a timely and 
affordable manner. 
At a minimum, 
the policy developed by the 
boards of trustees must provide for the approval of credits in 
courses that 
a 
student has 
satisfactorily completed in that 
student's 
academic 
major 
and 
minor 
areas 
of 
study 
and 
is 
transferring to 
a different college campus of the university 
system or the community college 'system or between the university 
system and community college system. 
The courses accepted for 
credit in a student's academic major or minor must be relevant to 
the areas of study in which the student is seeking a degree. 
The 
boards of trustees are urged to develop and implement a policy 
that reflects a truly unified system of higher education in the 
State. 
Sec. B-2. Reporting date established. 
The boards of trustees of 
the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College 
System shall report on the development and implementation of the 
transfer credit policy described in section 1 of this Part to any 
policy-making 
body 
established 
in 
state 
law 
to 
direct 
a 
coordinated effort to develop, realign, streamline and oversee 
the State's economic development policy and specific efforts to 
retain 
and attract young 
people 
and 
to 
the 
joint standing 
commi ttee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education 
matters no later than January 15, 2005. 
PARTC 
Sec. C-l. University of Maine System and Maine Community College 
System 
directed 
to 
develop 
entrepreneurship 
education. 
The 
University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System 
shall work together to develop a unified, comprehensive approach 
to 
entrepreneurship education. 
This 
initiative must 
include 
specific 
courses 
and 
workshops on starting and operating a small business and must be 
available to students throughout the University of Maine System 
and the Maine Community College System. 
Sec. C-2. Reporting date established. 
The University of Maine 
System and the Maine 
Community College 
System shall make 
an 
initial 
report 
on 
the 
development 
and 
implementation 
of 
entrepreneurship education to any policy-making body established 
in state law to direct a coordinated effort to develop, realign, 
streamline and oversee the State's economic development policy 
and specific efforts to retain and attract young people and to 
the 
joint 
standing 
committee 
of 
the 
Legislature 
having 
jurisdiction over education matters no later than January 15, 
2005 and shall make a final report no later than January 15, 2007. 
PARTD 
Sec. D-l. 
Authorizing 
Le~islature to provide funding toward 
establishment of radiology technology program at Kennebec Valley 
Community College. 
The 
Legislature shall provide 
funding 
to 
support the establishment of a 2-year associate degree program in 
radiology 
technology at 
Kennebec 
Valley 
Community 
College 
to 
address the shortage of radiology technicians in the State. 
Sec. D-2. Legislative intent; funding. 
It is the intent of the 
Legislature that, effective July 1, 2005, funds in the amount of 
$100,000 be appropriated from the General Fund to carry out the 
purposes of this Part. 
PART E 
Sec. E-l. Board of Trustees of University of Maine System to develop 
centers of excellence throughout University of Maine System. 
The Board 
of Trustees of the University of Maine System shall develop a 
plan and strategy to establish centers of excellence throughout 
the University of Maine 
System and to 
reduce duplication of 
programs and services. 
This plan, at a 
minimum, 
must specify 
course and curriculum priorities for the system as a whole and 
for 
each 
individual 
campus, 
identify 
specialized 
fields 
of 
learning that would most likely attract young adults 
to the 
University of Maine System and that would additionally enhance 
the Maine economy and growth of the business sector and specify 
the most strategic locations for these specialized fields of 
learning or centers of excellence. 
In addition, the plan must 
outline a realistic timetable for developing and implementing a 
unified system of centers of excellence. 
Sec. E-2. Board of Trustees to issue report to include cost analyses 
and savings initiatives to implement centers of excellence. 
The Board of 
Trustees of the University of Maine System shall issue a report 
to 
the 
presiding 
officers of the Legislature no later than September 15, 2005 that 
includes a description of the plan developed in section 1 of this 
Part, estimated costs and savings associated with the reduction 
in duplication of courses and curriculums and any other cost 
reductions that can be attained by eliminating low priorities and 
attracting more students to the University of Maine System. 
This 
report must also include a 
plan for transforming the current 
University of Maine System and its component campuses into a 
truly unified and seamless higher education system. 
PARTF 
Sec. F-l. State Board of Education and Commissioner of Education to 
implement plan to prepare all high school students for postsecondary 
education. The State Board of Education and the Commissioner of 
Education shall develop and implement a plan, including specific 
strategies, to ensure that every high school student in the State 
has the opportunity to complete the core courses required for 
college 
entry 
and 
is 
encouraged 
to 
explore 
postsecondary 
educational opportunities. 
Sec. F-2. Reporting date established. 
The 
State 
Board 
of 
Education and the Commissioner of Education shall make an initial 
report on the plan developed pursuant to section 1 of this Part 
to any pOlicy-making body established in state law to direct a 
coordinated effort to develop, 
realign, streamline and oversee 
the State's economic development policy and specific efforts to 
retain 
and 
attract 
young 
people 
and 
to 
the 
joint 
standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education 
matters no later than January 15, 2005 and make a final report no 
later than January 15, 2007. 
SUMMARY 
Part A directs the Department of 
Economic 
and 
Community 
Development to develop and administer an internship program to 
provide college students in Maine with opportunities to work in 
technology-based businesses in the Applied Technology Development 
System 
and 
in 
occupations 
and 
industries 
experiencing 
labor 
shortages. 
Part B directs the Board of Trustees of the University of 
Maine System and the Board of Trustees of the Maine Community 
College 
System 
to 
develop 
and 
implement 
a 
consistent policy 
regarding the transfer of credits between campuses within each 
system and between the 2 systems in order to remove barriers to 
student transfer within and between campuses and to facilitate 
completion of the students' education in a timely and affordable 
manner. 
Part C directs the University of Maine System and the Maine 
Community College System to work together to develop a unified, 
comprehensive approach to entrepreneurship education throughout 
both 
systems, 
including 
specific 
courses 
and 
workshops 
on 
starting and operating a small business. 
Part 
D 
creates 
a 
2-year 
associate 
degree 
program 
in 
radiology technology at Kennebec Valley Community College and 
expresses 
the 
intent 
of 
the 
Legislature 
that 
$100,000 
be 
appropriated for this purpose in the next biennium. 
Part E directs the Board of Trustees of the University of 
Maine System to develop a plan and strategy to establish centers 
of excellence throughout the University of Maine System and to 
reduce duplication of programs and services. 
Part 
F 
directs 
the 
State 
Board 
of 
Education 
and 
the 
Commissioner of Education to develop and implement a plan to 
ensure 
that 
every 
high 
school 
student 
in 
Maine 
has 
the 
opportunity to complete the core courses required for college 
entry and is encouraged to explore postsecondary educational 
opportunities.