An Act To Increase Faculty in Maine Nursing Education Programs
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1494
Committee: Business, Research and Economic Development
Sponsors: CUMMINGS, ANDREWS, CURLEY, PERRY

Legislative Document 
No. 1494 
H.P. 1051 
House of Representatives, March 28, 2005 
An Act To Increase Faculty in Maine Nursing Education Programs 
Reference to the Committee on Business, Research and Economic Development suggested 
and ordered printed. 
!rJ~ 
/J7·711dC~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative CUMMINGS of Portland. 
Cosponsored by Senator ANDREWS of York and 
Representatives: CURLEY of Scarborough, PERRY of Calais. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 10 MRSA c.ll0, sub-c.l-E is enacted to read: 
SUBCHAPTER l-E 
NURSING EDUCATION 
§l019. 
Nursing education lOan repa~nt program 
1. 
Nursing education lOan repayment program. 
The nursing 
education loan repayment program is established for the purpose 
of increasing the number of nursing faculty in nursing education 
programs in the State. 
2. 
Criteria. 
For 
an 
applicant 
to participate 
in the 
nursing 
education 
loan 
repayment 
program 
established 
under 
subsection 1, the applicant must: 
A. 
Be a nurse; 
B. 
Complete a master's or doctoral degree in nursing; 
C. 
Possess an outstanding education loan relating to the 
master's or doctoral nursing degree; and 
D. 
Sign a statement of intent in a form acceptable to the 
authority to work as nursing faculty in a nursing education 
program 
in the 
State 
for 
a 
m~n~mum of 
years 
after 
acceptance into the nursing education loan repayment program. 
3. 
Nursing 
education 
loan 
repayment 
fund. 
There 
is 
established the nursing education loan repayment fund within the 
authority to carry out the purposes of the nursing education loan 
repayment 
program 
established 
under 
subsection 
1. 
Eligible 
investment 
earnings 
credited 
to 
the 
assets 
of 
the 
nursing 
education loan repayment fund become part of the assets of that 
fund. 
Any 
balance 
rema~n~ng in 
the 
nursing 
education 
loan 
repayment fund at the end of any fiscal year does not lapse but 
must be carried forward for the next fiscal year. 
4. 
Administration. 
The nursing education loan repayment 
program 
and 
the 
nursing 
education 
loan 
repayment 
fund 
are 
administered by the authority. 
The authority shall repay the 
loan of an applicant who meets the criteria in subsection 2 in 
the amount of up to $4,500 for a master's degree and up to $6,000 
for a doctoral degree. 
The authority may adopt rules to carry 
out the purposes of this subchapter. 
Rules adopted pursuant to 
this subsection are major substantive rules pursuant to Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
Page l-LRI971(I) 
Sec. 
2. 
Appropriations 
and 
allocations. 
The 
following 
appropriations and allocations are made. 
FINANCE AUTHORITY OF MAINE 
Nursing Education Loan Repayment Fund 
Ini tiati ve: 
Provides 
funds 
to 
the 
nursing 
education 
loan 
repayment 
fund to increase the 
number 
of nursing faculty in 
nursing education programs in the State. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
SUMMARY 
2005-06 
$50,000 
$50,000 
2006-01 
$50,000 
$50,000 
This bill creates 
the 
nursing 
education 
loan 
repayment 
program and fund, to be administered by the Finance Authority of 
Maine, for the purpose of increasing nursing faculty at nursing 
education programs in the State. 
The program will repay up to 
$4,500 of education loans for a master's degree and up to $6,000 
of education loans for a doctoral degree for a nurse who commits 
to working as faculty in a nursing education program in the State 
for a minimum of 3 years after acceptance into the program. 
This 
bill appropriates $50,000 from the General Fund each year for the 
next 2 years to finance the program.