Resolve, To Fund the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0206
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: DRISCOLL, TRAHAN, CLARK, CONNOR, PENDLETON, PERRY, STRANG BURGESS, TUTTLE, BARTLETT, JACKSON

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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AUGUSTA ):IAIPlE 
124thMAINE LEGISLATURE 
FIRST REGULAR SESSIO~f-2009 
Legislative Document 
No. 206 
H.P.171 
House of Representatives, January 21,2009 
Resolve, To Fund the Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program 
(EMERGENCY) 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative DRISCOLL of Westbrook. 
Cosponsored by Senator TRAHAN of Lincoln and 
'-77l~ /11. 7J?dC~{ 
. MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representatives: CLARK of Millinocket, CONNOR of Kennebunk, PENDLETON of 
Scarborough, PERRY of Calais, STRANG BURGESS of Cumberland, TUTTLE of Sanford, 
Senators: BARTLETT of Cumberland, JACKSON of Aroostook. 
Primed un recycled paper 
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Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and 
Whereas, the average age of the 20,597 nurses in the State this year who renewed 
their nursing licenses is 50.5 years of age, older than the average age of nurses nationally; 
and 
Whereas, nurse faculty members generally are older workers with an average age of 
54.5 years and nearly 1/3 of faculty in the State's nursing education programs do not plan 
to be working in 5 years; and 
Whereas, the State's schools of nursing continue to turn away qualified applicants 
due to a lack of faculty needed to expand the nursing programs to accommodate more 
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students; and 
Whereas, the State created the nursing education loan repayment program under the 
Finance Authority of Maine to address the critical need for qualified faculty in the State's 
schools of nursing; and 
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Whereas, the nursing education loan repayment program has never received 
funding; and 
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore, be it 
Sec. 1. Nursing education loan repayment program. Resolved: That the 
Department of Health and Human Services, the DepaJiment of Labor and the Department 
of Education are directed to research federal funding sources to fund the nursing 
education loan repayment program established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 10, 
section 1019 and report to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services 
by January I, 20 I 0 with suggested plans to obtain federal funding from the sources 
identified. 
Emergency clause. 
In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this 
legislation takes effect when approved. 
SUMMARY 
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This resolve directs the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department 
of Labor and the Department of Education to research federal funding sources to fund the 
nursing education loan repayment program and report to the Joint Standing Committee on 
Health and Human Services with suggested plans to obtain federal funding. 
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