An Act To Prohibit and Provide Penalties for the Issuance, Manufacture and Use of False Academic Degrees or Certificates
Maine Legislature, Session 122, LD 1317
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: MAKAS, STEDMAN, MILLS

Legislative Document 
No. 1317 
H.P.915 
House of Representatives, March 15,2005 
An Act To Prohibit and Provide Penalties for the Issuance, 
Manufacture and Use of False Academic Degrees or Certificates 
Submitted by the Department of Education pursuant to Joint Rule 204. 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed. 
Presented by Representati ve CAIN of Orono. 
Il/~ 
1'J? 7!!dC~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representatives: MAKAS of Lewiston, STEDMAN of Hartland, Senator: 
MILLS of Somerset. 
Printed on recYl: leu pUpt"f 
Be it enacted by the People oftbe State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. I. 20-A MRSA c. 410 is enacted to read: 
CHAPTER 410 
FALSE ACADEMIC DEGUES OR CERTIFICATES 
Sl080l. 
Definitions 
As 
used 
in this 
chapter, 
unless 
the 
context 
otherwise 
indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. 
1. 
Accreditation. 
"Accreditation" means 
a 
formal status 
granted by an accrediting agency to an institution meeting or 
exceeding the educational guality criteria as 
stated in the 
accrediting agency's publication in order to assess and enhance 
the educational guality of an institution, ensure consistency in 
institutional operations, promote institutional improvement and 
provide for public accountability. 
2. 
Accreditation mill. 
"Accreditation 
mill" 
means 
an 
entity that is created to give 
the 
appearance 
that certain 
substandard 
schools 
or 
institutions 
of 
higher 
education 
are 
legitimately accredited organizations, that is not recognized by 
any authorized state, professional or national agency and that 
has few, if any, standards for guality. 
3. 
DiplOma mill. 
"Diploma mill" means an institution of 
higher education operating without accreditation or supervision 
of a state or a nationally recognized professional agency and 
granting diplomas that are either fraudulent or, because of lack 
of proper standards, worthless. 
4. 
Degree 
mill. 
"Degree 
mill" 
means 
a 
school 
or 
institution of higher education without accreditation that meets 
anyone of the following conditions: 
A. 
Issues degrees without reguiring any student academic 
work: 
B. 
Issues 
degrees 
based 
solely 
on 
the 
student's life 
experience or portfolio without reguiring any college-level 
work submitted to and evaluated by faculty with appropriate 
academic degrees from standard accredited institutions: or 
C. 
Issues degrees basing more than 50% of reguired credits 
on the student's ]~~e experience. 
5. 
Duly authorized institution of higher learning. 
"Duly 
authorized institution of higher learning" means an institution 
that: 
Page l-LR0553(1) 
• 
.. 
A. 
Has 
accreditation 
recognized 
by 
the 
United 
States 
Secretary of Education or has the foreign eQuivalent of such 
accreditation; 
B. 
Has an authorization to operate under the laws of this 
State; or 
C. 
Does not operate in this State and is; 
(1) 
Licensed by the appropriate 
agency of 
another 
state; and 
(2) 
An 
active 
applicant 
for 
accreditation 
by 
an 
accrediting 
body 
recognized 
by 
the 
United 
States 
Secretary of Education. 
6. 
False academic degree. 
"False academic degree" means a 
document such as a degree or certification of completion of a 
degree I 
course work or academic credit. including a transcript. 
that provides evidence or demonstrates completion of a course of 
instruction or course work that results in the issuance of an 
associate or more advanced degree by an institution that is not a 
duly authorized institution of higher learning. 
7. 
Substandard school or institution of higher education. 
"Substandard school or institution of higher education" means an 
entity without accreditation that offers credentials purported to 
be degrees without reQuiring the type and level of academic work 
typically needed to earn a degree and that; 
A. 
Issues degrees without reQuiring any substantial student 
academic work; 
B. 
Issues 
degrees 
based solely 
on 
the 
student's life 
experience or portfolio without reguiring any college-level 
work submitted to and evaluated by faculty with appropriate 
academic degrees from accredited institutions; 
c. 
Issues degrees without requiring that at least 80% of 
the student work for which credit is given be college-level 
work appropriate for the degree; 
D. 
Issues degrees using more than 20% of reQuired credits 
based on the student's life experience; 
E. 
Issues 
degrees 
using 
more 
than 
20% 
of 
credits 
transferred from an unaccredited school or institution of 
higher education; ~~ 
F. 
Issues degrees without at least 80% of student work for 
credit being evaluated by faculty with accredited degrees or 
issues 
degrees 
based 
on 
a 
nationally 
recognized 
college-level examination such as College Level Examination 
Program, Advanced Placement or New York Regents. 
§I0802, 
Unlawful to issue, manufacture, or use false academic 
degrees: penaly 
1. 
False academic degree. 
A person may 
not 
issue or 
manufacture a false academic degree. 
A person who violates this 
subsection commits a Class C crime. 
2. 
Use of false academic degree. 
A person may not use a 
false academic degree: 
A. 
To obtain employment: 
B. 
To 
obtain 
a 
promotion 
or 
higher 
compensation 
in 
employment: 
C. 
To 
obtain 
admission 
to 
an 
institution 
of 
higher 
learning: or 
D. 
In connection with any business, trade, profession or 
occupation. 
A person who violates this subsection commits a Class D crime. 
§I0803, 
Unlawful to use degree or certificate when course work 
not COmPleted: penaly 
I, 
Unlawful use of degree. 
A person may not knowingly use 
a 
degree, 
certificate, 
diploma, 
transcript or other document 
purporting to indicate that the person has completed an organized 
program of stud,y or completed, courses when the person has not 
completed, the organized, program of 
stud,y or 
the courses 
as 
ind,icated on the d,egree, 
certificate, 
d,iploma, 
transcript or 
d,ocument: 
A. 
To obtain employment: 
B. 
To 
obtain 
a 
promotion 
or 
higher 
compensation 
in 
employment: 
C. 
To 
obtain 
admission 
to 
an 
institution 
of 
higher 
learning: or 
• 
.. 
• 
D. 
In connection with any business, trade, profession or 
occupation. 
2. 
Penalty. 
A person who violates this section commits a 
Class D crime. 
§l0804. 
Consumer protection 
The department shall provide, via publicly accessible sites 
on the Internet, information to protect students, businesses and 
others 
from 
persons, 
institutions 
or 
entities 
that 
issue, 
manufacture or use false academic degrees. 
This information must 
include the names of known state, national and international 
diploma m~lls, degree mills, accreditation mills and substandard 
schools or institutions of higher education. 
SUMMARY 
This bill makes it illegal to issue, manufacture and use 
false academic degrees or certificates to obtain employment, to 
obtain promotion or higher compensation in employment, to obtain 
admission to an institution of higher learning or in connection 
with any business, trade, profession or occupation. 
This bill 
also authorizes the Department of Education to protect consumers 
by providing Internet site information naming and updating known 
state, national and international diploma mills, degree mills, 
accreditation mills and ~ubstandard schools .