An Act To Promote Economic Growth by Retaining Engineers in Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 0993
Committee: Business, Research and Economic Development
Sponsors: CATHCART
Amends: 5 MRSA §12004-I, 20-A MRSA §12523

Legislative Document 
No. 993 
S.P.334 
In Senate, February 25,2003 
An Act To Promote Economic Growth by Retaining Engineers in 
Maine 
Reference to the Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development suggested 
and ordered printed. 
Presented by Senator CATHCART of Penobscot. 
Printed on recyc led paper 
JOY J. O'BRIEN 
Secretary of the Senate 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. I. 5 MRSA §12004-I, sub-§18-E is enacted to read: 
l8-E. 
Education: 
Financial 
Aid 
Maine 
Engineers 
Recruitment 
and Retention 
Advisory 
Committee 
20-A MRSA 
§12523 
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA c. 428-A is enacted to read: 
CHAPTER 428-A 
MAINE ENGINEERS RECRUI"l'MENT AND RETENTION PROGRAM 
§1252l. Definitions 
As 
used 
in this 
chapter, 
unless 
the 
context 
otherwise 
indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. 
.",l,-". __ A"-""u,-"th""""o,-"r,,-,i,,,t ... y&--"-. __ 
'--,' 
A,",-u"'"t"",-h~o. r i ty" me ans the F i nanc e 
Au tho r i ty 
t: 
Maine. 
2. 
Chief executive officer. 
"Chief 
executive 
officer" 
means the Chief Executive Officer of the Finance Authority of 
Maine. 
3. 
Eligible degree. 
"Eligible degree" means a bachelor's 
degree from 
a college of engineering within the University of 
Maine System. 
4. 
Eligible employer. 
"Eligible employer" means a business 
in the State that employs engineers and that demonstrates a need 
to fill an eligible employment position. 
5. 
Eligible 
employment 
position. 
"Eligible 
emploj'ment 
position" 
means 
a 
full-time 
position 
of 
employment 
with 
an 
employer located in this State, 
a 
requirement of which is 
a 
bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline. 
6. 
Program. 
"Program" 
means 
the 
Maine 
Engineers 
Recruitment and Retention Program established in section 12522. 
§12522. 
Maine Engineers Recruitment and Retention Program 
1. 
Program; established. 
The Maine Engineers Recruitment 
and Retention Program is established to provide assistance to 
eligible employers seeking to recruit individuals with eligible 
degrees 
to 
fill 
eligible 
employment 
positions 
by 
providing 
Page l-LR1l89(1) 
financial assistance to employees who fill such positions and to 
encourage engineering graduates to remain in the State. 
2. 
Applicable years; 
repayment. 
The program applies to 
engineering students who are enrolled in a state postsecondary 
educational institution beginning with the school year starting 
September 
2003 
who will be eligible for repayment of student 
loans pursuant to this chapter after graduation in 2007. 
§12523. 
Maine Engineers Recruitment and Retention Advisory 
Committee established 
The 
Maine 
Engineers 
Recruitment 
and 
Retention 
Advisory 
Committee, referred to in this section as "the committee," is 
established. 
The 
committee shall assist the chief executive 
officer in determining program loan repayment recipients under 
section 12524 annually. 
The committee consists of the following 
members appointed by the chief executive officer: 
1. 
University of Maine System. 
One member representing the 
University of Maine System recommended by the Chancellor of the 
University of Maine System; 
2. 
Maine 
engineers. 
Two 
members, 
each 
representing 
a 
statewide organization representing engineers in the State; and 
3. 
Public members. 
Two members of the public representing 
businesses that employ engineers to perform a substantial part of 
their business. 
Members serve for terms of 3 years and may be reappointed. 
Members of the committee are compensated in accordance with 
Title 5, chapter 379. 
§12524. 
Loan repayment agreement recipients 
Each 
year 
eligible 
employers 
seeking 
to 
fill 
eligible 
employment positions may apply on behalf of individuals with an 
eligible degree seeking eligible employment positions who have 
outstanding student loans from financial institutions to obtain 
one or more program loan repayment agreements. 
Applications must 
be submitted to the authority at a time and in a format to be 
determined by the authority. 
§12525. 
Maximum loan repayment; participation 
The maximum program loan repayment amount available to each 
employee is $2,500 per year, for a maximum of 4 years. 
No more 
than 10 program loan repayment agreements may be awarded in any 
year. 
§12526. 
Eligibility reqyirements 
1. 
Program 
lOan 
repayment 
agreement. 
A 
program 
loan 
repayment agreement may be given only to an individual who 
~s 
employed in this State in an eligible employment position and who 
has met other eligibility criteria established by rules of the 
authority. 
2. 
Matching 
funds. 
An 
eligible 
employer 
must 
provide 
matching funds to be used for program loan repayment in an amount 
egual to the amount of the program loan repayment to be provided 
by the authority. 
§12527. 
P~nt provisions 
The 
authority 
shall 
enter 
into 
program 
loan 
repayment 
agreements with individuals with eligible degrees, on terms and 
conditions acceptable to the authority, that at a minimum must 
reguire the individual and the individual's employer to certify 
annually, 
before payment of any installment by the authority 
under the program loan agreement. that the individual has been 
employed in an eligible employment position for the preceding 
l2-month period. 
Payment of any installment by the authority 
must be made directly for credit to the individual's account at 
the 
financial 
institution 
certified 
by 
the 
individual 
as 
responsible for administration of that person's student loans. 
§12528. 
Nonlapsing revolving fund 
1. 
Creation of fund. 
The Maine Engineers Recruitment and 
Retention Program Fund, 
referred to in this section as 
"the 
fund," is created as 
a nonlapsing, interest-earning, revolving 
fund to carry out the purposes of this chapter. 
The fund must be 
deposited with, 
maintained and administered by the authority. 
Any unexpended balance in the fund carries over for continued use 
under this chapter. 
The authority may receive, invest and expend 
on behalf of the fund money from gifts, grants, be<;luests, loans 
and donations in addition to money appropriated or allocated by 
the State. 
Money received by the authority on behalf of the 
fund, except interest income, must be used for the purposes of 
this chapter; interest income may be used for the purposes of 
this chapter or to pay administrative costs 
incurred by 
the 
authority, as determined appropriate by the authority. 
2. 
Administrative 
expenses. 
Costs 
and 
expenses 
of 
maintaining, 
servicing 
and 
administering 
the 
fund 
and 
administering the program may be paid out of amounts in the fund. 
§12529. 
Rules 
The authQrity shall adQpt rules tQ implement this chapter. 
Rules 
adQPted by the authority pursuant to this chapter are 
routine 
technical 
rules 
pursuant 
to 
Title 
5, 
chapter 
375, 
subchapter 2-A. 
SUMMARY 
This bill establishes the Maine Engineers Recruitment and 
Retention Program to provide financial assistance and incentives 
tQ any graduate of a college of engineering within the University 
of Maine System to become an employee in an engineering position 
in the State. 
The program provides loan repayment to up to 10 
eligible engineers working in Maine businesses. 
The employers 
who 
apply for the loan repayment funds must match all funds 
received by their employees. 
The program is administered by the 
Finance 
Authority 
of 
Maine 
with 
assistance 
in 
determining 
recipients from an advisory committee.