An Act To Facilitate Informed Planning for Higher Education and Careers
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1746
Sponsors: BERRY, JOHNSON, KENT, KORNFIELD, MAKER, CAIN, KATZ, MILLETT, VALENTINO
Amends: 5 MRSA §12004-G, 5 MRSA §12004-I, 20-A MRSA §12901, 20-A MRSA §12902

Legislative Document 
No. 1746 
H.P. 1253 
House of Representatives, January 23, 2014 
An Act To Facilitate Informed Planning for Higher Education and 
Careers 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203. 
Reference to the Joint Select Committee on Maine's Workforce and Economic Future 
suggested and ordered printed. 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative BERRY of Bowdoinham. 
Cosponsored by Representatives: JOHNSON of Greenville, KENT of Woolwich, 
KORNFIELD of Bangor, MAKER of Calais, Senators: CAIN of Penobscot, KATZ of 
Kennebec, MILLETT of Cumberland, VALENTINO of York. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §12004-G, sub-§10-E is enacted to read: 
10-E.   
Sec. 2.  5 MRSA §12004-I, sub-§7-D is enacted to read: 
7-D.   
Sec. 3.  20-A MRSA c. 437 is enacted to read: 
CHAPTER 437 
STATE EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES COMMISSION 
§12901.  State Education and Employment Outcomes Commission 
1.  Commission established.  The State Education and Employment Outcomes 
Commission, established in Title 5, section 12004-G, subsection 10-E and referred to in 
this chapter as "the commission," is established to develop procedures to maintain and 
disseminate information and data from the Department of Labor's educational outcome 
database, referred to in this chapter as "the database," on education results, program 
completion, graduation, credentials earned, loans and loan defaults and costs as well as 
employment and earnings outcomes for graduates of postsecondary educational 
institutions in the State over time. 
2.  Membership.  The commission consists of 24 members appointed as follows: 
A.  Seven members appointed by the President of the Senate as follows: 
(1)  Two members of the Senate, one from each of the 2 parties holding the 
largest number of seats in the Legislature; 
(2)  A representative from the University of Maine System; 
(3)  A representative from a private postsecondary educational institution in the 
State; 
Education 
State Education and 
Employment 
Outcomes 
Commission 
Expenses Only 
20-A MRSA §12901 
Education 
Education and 
Employment 
Outcomes Technical 
and Data Working 
Group 
Not Authorized 
20-A MRSA §12902 
(4)  A representative from the Maine School Management Association or a 
successor organization; 
(5)  A person having experience in kindergarten to grade 12 education, school 
counseling and student loan financing, economics or marketing; and 
(6)  A person who is a student attending a secondary school or postsecondary 
educational institution in the State; 
B.  Seven members appointed by the Speaker of the House as follows: 
(1)  Two members of the House of Representatives, one from each of the 2 
parties holding the largest number of seats in the Legislature; 
(2)  A representative from the Maine Community College System; 
(3)  A representative from a private postsecondary educational institution in the 
State; 
(4)  A representative from an organization with expertise in state and national 
higher education policy; 
(5)  A person having experience in kindergarten to grade 12 education, school 
counseling and student loan financing, economics or marketing; and 
(6)  A person who is a student attending a secondary school or postsecondary 
educational institution in the State; 
C.  Seven members appointed by the Governor as follows: 
(1)  A representative from the Maine Maritime Academy; 
(2)  A representative from a private postsecondary educational institution in the 
State; 
(3)  A person having experience in kindergarten to grade 12 education, school 
counseling and student loan financing, economics or marketing; 
(4)  A representative from the Maine State Chamber of Commerce or a successor 
organization; 
(5)  A representative from a regional chamber of commerce; 
(6)  A person with expertise in state and national higher education policy; and 
(7)  A small business owner; 
D.  The Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's designee; 
E.  The Commissioner of Labor or the commissioner's designee; and 
F.  The administrator of the database or the administrator's designee. 
3.  Chairs.  The first-named Senate member is the Senate chair and the first-named 
House of Representatives member is the House chair of the commission. 
4.  Terms of appointment.  Nonlegislative members of the commission are 
appointed for terms of 3 years and may serve beyond their designated terms until their 
successors are appointed. Terms of appointment of Legislators coincide with their 
respective legislative terms of office. 
5.  Staffing.  The Department of Education and the Department of Labor shall 
provide staff assistance to the commission. 
6.  Duties.  The commission shall: 
A.  Develop procedures to maintain and disseminate information regarding the 
anticipated career lifetime earnings of graduates of postsecondary educational 
institutions in the State based on the database, their anticipated monthly cumulative 
student loan payments and the terms of their loans and available incentives; 
B.  Create procedures for the use of the information provided in the database by state 
agencies, higher education organizations that have partnerships with the commission, 
local school systems and the public; 
C.  Make recommendations regarding the design and content of a website jointly 
hosted by the Department of Education and the Department of Labor that provides 
maximum information to the public regarding higher education and employment; 
D.  Identify a viable long-term funding method to maintain the database; 
E.  Produce recommendations for the Department of Education on how to provide 
information to secondary school students who are making higher education decisions; 
F.  Address any issues that may arise from the use or impact of the database; and 
G.  Prepare annual work plans. 
7.  Reports; legislation.  The commission shall report to both the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters and the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over labor matters each year on 
the status of the database.  The reports must include a description of where funding is 
coming from for the database and the sustainability of that funding, how the website 
under subsection 6, paragraph C is used, including by whom and how frequently they use 
it, and efforts to incorporate its use into secondary schools and any other issues the 
commission determines necessary.  The commission may submit with the reports 
legislation required to implement its recommendations.  
§12902.  Education and Employment Outcomes Technical and Data Working Group 
The Education and Employment Outcomes Technical and Data Working Group, 
established in Title 5, section 12004-I, subsection 7-D and referred to in this chapter as 
"the group," advises the commission on matters related to this chapter. 
1.  Membership; terms; meetings.  The group consists of 6 members appointed by 
the commission.  The members include the administrator of the database or the 
administrator's designee, a representative of a statewide organization representing school 
guidance counselors, a representative of a statewide organization representing school 
principals, a representative of the University of Maine System, a representative of the 
Maine Community College System and a representative of a private postsecondary 
educational institution in the State. 
The commission shall convene the first meeting of the group.  The members shall elect a 
chair from the membership by majority vote of the membership at the first meeting of the 
group.  The chair serves for the duration of that member's term unless a majority of the 
membership elects another chair.  At the end of the chair's term as member, the 
membership shall elect a succeeding chair by majority vote of the membership.  Members 
serve for a term of 3 years.  The group shall meet semiannually to conduct business and 
may meet and report at other times as needed.  A quorum consists of 4 members. 
2.  Duties of group.  The group shall make recommendations to the commission 
regarding: 
A.  The operation and use of the database and the information the database contains; 
B.  The commission's duties regarding the website under section 12901, subsection 6, 
paragraph C and integration of the information on the website into the State's 
secondary schools; 
C.  Funding methods for the database; 
D.  Additional data for inclusion in the database; and 
E.  Any question or issue that the commission has charged the group with.  
Sec. 4.  Staggered terms.  Notwithstanding the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 
20-A, section 12901, subsection 4, terms of members of the State Education and 
Employment Outcomes Commission are as follows. 
1.  Of the initial nonlegislative members appointed by the President of the Senate, 2 
must be for terms of 3 years, 2 must be for terms of 2 years and one must be for a term of 
one year. 
2.  Of the initial nonlegislative members appointed by the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, 2 must be for terms of 3 years, 2 must be for terms of 2 years and one 
must be for a term of one year. 
3.  Of the initial gubernatorial appointments, 3 must be for terms of 3 years, 2 must 
be for terms of 2 years and 2 must be for terms of one year. 
Sec. 5.  Staggered terms.  Notwithstanding the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 
20-A, section 12902, subsection 1, 3 members of the Education and Employment 
Outcomes Technical and Data Working Group must serve for a term of 3 years, 2 must 
serve for a term of 2 years and one must serve for a term of one year. 
SUMMARY 
This bill establishes the State Education and Employment Outcomes Commission to 
develop procedures to maintain and disseminate information and data on education 
results, program completion, graduation, credentials earned, loans and loan defaults and 
costs as well as employment and earnings for graduates of postsecondary educational 
institutions in the State.  The bill also establishes the Education and Employment 
Outcomes Technical and Data Working Group to make recommendations to the 
commission regarding the operation and use of the Department of Labor's educational 
outcome database and the information the database contains, the duties of the commission 
regarding a website jointly hosted by the Department of Labor and the Department 
Education and integration of the information on the website into the State's secondary 
schools, funding methods for the database, additional data for inclusion in the database 
and any question or issue that the commission has charged the group with.