An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Legislative Youth Advisory Council
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 1917
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Amends: 3 MRSA §168-A

Legislative Document 
No. 1917 
H.P.1419 
House of Representatives, March 9, 2004 
An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Legislative 
Youth Advisory Council 
Reported by Representative PARADIS of Frenchville for the Legislative Youth Advisory 
Council pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 3, section 168-A, subsection 1, 
paragraph E. 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed under Joint Rule 218. 
Printt!u on recyckd pa~r 
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/J7·711ac~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 3 MRSA §168-A, sub-§10, as amended by PL 2003, c. 20, 
Pt. F, §3, is further amended to read: 
10. 
Staff. 
The Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service 
shall provide funding and staff assistance to the council from 
within its existing budgeted resources or from grants received by 
the school for that purpose until expiration of the cooperative 
agreement between the Legislative Council 
and the 
Edmund 
S. 
Muskie School of Public Service on June 30, 2005. 
Beginning July 
1, 
2005, 
the 
Legislative 
Council 
shall 
provide 
staffing 
assistance to the council. 
That assistance may not interfere 
with the staff support the Legislative Council provides to the 
Legislature. 
The Office of Policy and Legal Analysis shall draft 
all legislation submitted to the Legislature by the council. 
Sec. 2. 22 MRS A §3-A, as amended by PL 1971, c. 622, §69-D, 
is further amended to read: 
§3-A. 
State wards 
When a state ward becomes 18 years of age and he the state 
ward and the department agree that need for care and support for 
educational, social or physical reasons exists, the department is 
authorized to continue care and support of this person to Ehe-a~e 
e~-6± ~ years of age. 
Sec. 3. Participation in school activities by students residing with 
other than parent or parents. 
The Department of Human Services, the 
Department 
of 
Behavioral 
and 
Developmental 
Services 
and 
the 
Department of Education shall jointly study the impact of school 
parental 
consent 
requirements 
on 
opportunities 
for 
students 
residing with other than the parent or parents to participate in 
extracurricular and off-site school activities, identify barriers 
to participation in such activities by those students and develop 
a plan to address identified needs. 
In conducting the study, the 
departments shall solicit input from students residing with other 
than the parent or parents. 
The departments shall submit a 
written report on the results of the study, including suggested 
implementing 
legislation, 
to 
the 
Legislative 
Youth 
Advisory 
Council not later than December 15, 2004. 
Upon request of the 
council, a representative of each department shall appear before 
the council to discuss the study. 
Page l-LR2774(1) 
Sec. 4. Qualification for driver's licenses by youth residing in group 
homes. 
The 
Secretary of State 
and 
the Department of 
Human 
Services shall jointly study the process for issuance of driver's 
licenses to youth and review experiences of and identify barriers 
to youth residing in group homes in obtaining driver's licenses 
and develop a plan to address identified needs. 
In conducting 
the 
study, 
the Secretary of State and the department shall 
solicit 
input 
from 
students 
residing 
in 
group 
homes. 
The 
Secretary of State and the department shall submit a written 
report 
of 
their 
study, 
including 
suggested 
implementing 
legislation, to the Legislative Youth Advisory Council not later 
than 
December 
15, 
2004. 
Upon 
request 
of 
the 
council, 
a 
representative of the Office of the Secretary of State and a 
representative of the department shall appear in person before 
the council to discuss the study. 
Sec. 5. Legislative Youth Advisory Council funding. 
On July 1, 
2005, following expiration of the cooperative agreement between 
the Legislative Council and the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public 
Service by which the Legislative Council provided funding to the 
Edmund 
S. 
Muskie 
School of Public Service in the 
amount of 
$26,300 to be used for the expenses of the Legislative Youth 
Advisory 
Council 
for 
fiscal 
years 
2003-04 
and 
2004-05, 
the 
Legislature shall provide funding for the expenses of the council. 
SUMMARY 
This bill implements the recommendations of the Legislative 
Youth Advisory Council and is submitted pursuant to the Maine 
Revised Statutes, Title 3, section 168-A, subsection 1, paragraph 
E. 
The bill does the following: 
1. 
The bill provides that, if the Department of Human 
Services and a state ward agree that an extension is needed, the 
State may provide care and support until the ward reaches 
years of age. 
Current law requires that state-supported services 
to state wards end not later than 21 years of age and, therefore, 
may impede the completion of postsecondary educational study by 
those persons; 
2. 
It directs 
the 
Department 
of 
Human 
Services, 
the 
Department 
of 
Behavioral 
and 
Developmental 
Services 
and 
the 
Department 
of 
Education 
to 
study 
and 
report 
back 
to 
the 
Legislative 
Youth 
Advisory 
Council 
on 
ways 
to 
increase 
participation in school activities by students 
residing with 
other than the parent or parents; 
3. 
It directs the Secretary of State and 
Human Services to study and report back to the 
Advisory Council on barriers that may exist for 
group 
homes 
in 
obtaining driver's 
licenses 
overcome those barriers; and 
the Department of 
Legislative Youth 
youth residing in 
and 
methods 
to 
4. 
It shifts responsibility for staffing support of the 
council from the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service to the 
Legislative Council and for funding the costs of the council from 
the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service to the Legislature 
in fiscal year 2005-06.