An Act To Improve Degree and Career Attainment for Former Foster Children
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1683
Senate Amendment SA_A_S539 (Senate)
Amends: 22 MRSA §4010-C

SENATE AMENDMENT" A "to H.P. 1206, L.D. 1683, Bill, "An Act To Improve 
Degree and Career Attainment for Former Foster Children" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §4010-C is enacted to read: 
§4010-C. Transition grant program 
The Department of Health and Human Services shall establish a transition grant 
program to provide financial support to eligible individuals to pay for postsecondary 
education. 
1. Age; enrollment in postsecondary education institution. In order to be eligible 
to participate in the program, an individual must be at least 21 years of age but less than 
years of age, must have exited the voluntary extended care and support agreement 
with the State under section 4037 -A at 21 years of age and must be enrolled in a 
postsecondary education institution. 
2. Level of financial support. The transition grant is for postsecondary support up 
to the completion of an undergraduate degree. The level of financial support must be 
equivalent to the current voluntary extended foster care supports pursuant to section 
4037-A. The department shall set duration limits, including a 6-year maximum for a 4-
year degree, a 4-year maximum for a 2-year degree and other duration limits for other 
types of postsecondary education. 
3. 
Postsecondary education navigator services. 
The program must include 
postsecondary education navigator services that provide transitional services and college 
support. The department shall determine the specifics of those services. 
4. Advisory committee. The department shall establish an advisory committee to 
provide oversight of the implementation of the transition grant program. The advisory 
committee must include stakeholders in the postsecondary education field, the 
department's postsecondary education navigator under subsection 6, professionals who 
work with transitional foster youth, employers, representatives of the department and 
other interested parties. The department shall adopt rules to determine the membership, 
terms of office and voting procedures of the advisory committee and other specifics of the 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
o~s 
~ 
SENATE AMENDMENT "A "toH.P.1206,L.D. 1683 
advisory committee's governance structure. The advisory committee shall provide an 
annual report to the department and the joint standing committee of the Legislature 
having jurisdiction over health and human services matters. 
5. Liniit on number of individuals receiving transition grants. No more than 40 
individuals at anyone time may receive transition grants under this section. 
6. Postsecondary education navigator. The department shall develop the roles and 
responsibilities for the postsecondary education navigator to provide transitional services 
and college student support for individuals pursuant to this section. The postsecondary 
education navigator shall provide data to the advisory committee. 
The department shall adopt rules to implement this section. Rules adopted pursuant 
to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 
2-A. 
Sec. 2. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF (FORMERLY DHS) 
State-funded Foster Care/Adoption Assistance 0139 
Initiative: Appropriates funds for a transitional grant program for individuals exiting the 
state foster care system at 21 years of age and actively pursuing postsecondary education. 
This appropriation is to provide the initial 20 grants beginning January 1, 2015. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
State-funded Foster Care/Adoption Assistance 0139 
2013-14 
$0 
$0 
2014-15 
$50,000 
$50,000 
Initiative: Deappropriates funds on a one-time basis resulting from program savings. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, 
DEPARTMENT OF (FORMERLY DHS) 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
GENERAL FUND 
2013-14 
$0 
$0 
2013-14 
$0 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
2014-15 
($50,000) 
($50,000) 
2014-15 
$0 
; 
, 
t 
~o'«s 
SENATE AMENDMENT" A" to H.P. 1206, L.D. 1683 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL-ALL FUNDS 
$0 
$0 
SUMMARY 
This amendment replaces the bill and establishes a transItIon grant program for 
individuals exiting the state foster care system at 21 years of age and actively pursuing a 
postsecondary education. The program is limited to 40 individuals at anyone time who 
are at least 21 years of age but less than 27 years of age. The Department of Health and 
Human Services is required to adopt rules to govern the program, and must determine 
eligibility, levels of financial support, duration of assistance, provision of postsecondary 
education navigator services and the membership, terms, voting procedures and 
governance structure of an advisory committee to advise the department, which must 
provide an annual report to the department and to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters. The department 
is required to develop the roles and responsibilities for one postsecondary education 
navigator to provide transitional services and college student support for those individuals 
in the transition grant program. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
~ee.tt~d) /" /7 
SPONSORE~"'-_=--->....~:zL-"---,,--,J~~--;;7"_L 
(Senator HILL) 
COUNTY: York 
SENATE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 04/15/14 ;tvac:.. 
LD 1683 
LR 2389(04) 
Resolve, To Improve Degree and Career Attainment for Former Foster Children 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/Allocations 
General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note for House Amendment '~' to Original Bill 
Sponsor: Sen. Hill of York 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2013-14 
FY 2014-15 
$0 
($149,827) 
$0 
($149,827) 
Projections 
FY 2015-16 
($102,898) 
($102,898) 
Projections 
FY 2016-17 
($105,857) 
($105,857) 
This fiscal note reflects the incremental impact of the amendment. The amendment adds an initial appropriation of 
$50,000 in fiscal year 2014-15 with an ongoing cost of $200,000 for the State-funded Foster Care/Adoption 
Assistance program in the Department of Health and Human Services for a transitional grant program for individuals 
exiting the State's foster care system at age 21 years old and actively pursuing post-secondary education. This assumes 
an annual grant cost of $5,000 per child and initially 20 grants awarded in the first year with an effective start date on 
January 1,2015. The amendment also adds a one-time deappropriation of $50,000 in fiscal year 2014-15 in the State-
funded Foster Care/Adoption Assistance program resulting from program savings. The amendment further assumes 
the department will be able to secure a post-secondary education navigator at little or no cost to the department. 
LR2389(04) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1 
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