Resolve, To Establish the Commission To Study College Affordability and College Completion
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1849
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs

Legislative Document 
No. 1849 
S.P. 748 
In Senate, March 28, 2014 
Resolve, To Establish the Commission To Study College 
Affordability and College Completion 
(EMERGENCY) 
Reported by Senator MILLETT of Cumberland for the Joint Standing Committee on 
Education and Cultural Affairs pursuant to Joint Order, S.P. 721. 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218. 
DAREK M. GRANT 
Secretary of the Senate 
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and 
Whereas, this legislation needs to take effect before the expiration of the 90-day 
period in order to allow the commission established in this resolve sufficient time to 
complete its work; 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.  Commission established.  Resolved:  That, notwithstanding Joint Rule 
353, the Commission To Study College Affordability and College Completion, referred 
to in this resolve as "the commission," is established; and be it further 
Sec. 2.  Commission membership.  Resolved:  That the commission consists of 
members as follows: 
1.  The President of the Senate shall appoint: 
A.  Two members of the Senate who serve on the Joint Standing Committee on 
Education and Cultural Affairs, including one member of the party holding the 
highest and one member of the party holding the 2nd highest number of seats in the 
Legislature; 
B.  One person representing a statewide association of independent higher education 
institutions; and 
C.  One person representing a statewide association of student financial aid directors; 
2.  The Speaker of the House shall appoint: 
A.  Three members of the House of Representatives who serve on the Joint Standing 
Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, including 2 members of the party 
holding the highest and one member of the party holding the 2nd highest number of 
seats in the Legislature; 
B.  One person with expertise in higher education policy issues representing a 
nonprofit entity in the State that provides financial assistance to students or to high 
schools to assist students for college enrollment; and 
C.  One person with expertise in higher education policy issues representing a 
statewide education policy research institute; and 
3.  Four members of the publicly supported higher education systems in the State, 
including: 
A.  The Chancellor of the University of Maine System or the chancellor's designee; 
B.  The President of the Maine Community College System or the president's 
designee; 
C.  The President of the Maine Maritime Academy or the president's designee; and 
D.  The Chief Executive Officer of the Finance Authority of Maine or the chief 
executive officer's designee; and be it further 
Sec. 3.  Chairs.  Resolved:  That the first-named Senate member is the Senate 
chair and the first-named House of Representatives member is the House chair of the 
commission; and be it further 
Sec. 4.  Appointments; convening of commission.  Resolved:  That all 
appointments must be made no later than 30 days following the effective date of this 
resolve. The appointing authorities shall notify the Executive Director of the Legislative 
Council once all appointments have been completed. Within 15 days after appointment of 
all members, the chairs shall call and convene the first meeting of the commission, which 
must be no later than 30 days following the appointment of all members; and be it further 
Sec. 5.  Duties.  Resolved:  That the commission shall examine and make 
recommendations on the development of strategies to keep the cost of public 
postsecondary education in the State affordable and to increase the graduation rate of 
students enrolled in state-supported public institutions of higher education.  The strategies 
and related cost issues to be reviewed include: 
1.  Oregon's "Pay Forward, Pay Back" pilot project's model of funding public 
postsecondary education, under which a student enrolled in a public institution of higher 
education, in lieu of paying tuition or fees, contracts to pay to the State a certain 
percentage of the student's annual income upon graduation for a specified number of 
years; 
2.  Increased funding to the State of Maine Grant Program established in the Maine 
Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 11612 that boosts the minimum grant from $1,000 
to $1,500 for eligible Maine residents; 
3.  The initiatives proposed by the public and independent colleges and universities in 
the State as part of the March 2014 "Improving College Affordability and Completion in 
Maine" report submitted to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural 
Affairs; 
4.  The extent to which Maine's public institutions of higher education support the 
state reforms included in the October 2013 "The Game Changers" report prepared by 
Complete College America, which recommends implementing the following strategies to 
enable more college students to complete degree programs and certificate programs and 
graduate from college: Performance Funding; Corequisite Remediation; Full-Time is 15; 
Structured Schedules; and Guided Pathways to Success; 
5.  The mandatory fees charged to students beyond the price of tuition charges, 
including technology and laboratory fees; 
6.  The affordability of college textbooks, including consideration of the costs and 
benefits of open source textbooks, for college students in the State; and 
7.  Other strategies that a majority of the commission members agree to include in 
this review. 
The commission shall review previous reports prepared and submitted to the 
Legislature on college affordability and the rate of college degree completion in the State, 
including the "Statewide Education and Workforce Development Strategic Plan" report 
submitted by the Education Coordination Committee to the Joint Select Committee on 
Maine's Workforce and Economic Future on January 30, 2014; and be it further 
Sec. 6.  Staffing assistance; information.  Resolved:  That the University of 
Maine System, the Maine Community College System and the Maine Maritime Academy 
shall provide staffing assistance to the commission.  The Finance Authority of Maine 
shall provide the commission with access to any nonconfidential aggregate information in 
its student financial assistance database for postsecondary education students in the State 
necessary to carry out the duties pursuant to section 5.  The Office of Policy and Legal 
Analysis shall provide drafting assistance to the commission; and be it further 
Sec. 7.  Report; recommendations.  Resolved:  That the commission shall 
submit a report containing its findings and recommendations pursuant to section 5, 
including any necessary implementing legislation, to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters by December 9, 2014. The joint 
standing committee may submit a bill related to this report to the First Regular Session of 
the 127th Legislature. 
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this 
legislation takes effect when approved. 
SUMMARY 
This resolve is reported out by the Joint Standing Committee on Education and 
Cultural Affairs pursuant to Joint Order 2013, S.P. 721.  The resolve establishes the 
Commission To Study College Affordability and College Completion.  The commission 
is directed to examine and make recommendations on the development of strategies to 
keep the cost of public postsecondary education in the State affordable and to increase the 
graduation rate of students enrolled in state-supported public institutions of higher 
education. 
The commission is required to submit a report by December 9, 2014 to the joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters.  The 
report submitted by the commission must include findings, recommendations and any 
necessary implementing legislation to keep the cost of public postsecondary education in 
the State affordable and to increase the graduation rate of students enrolled in state-
supported public institutions of higher education.  The joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over education and cultural affairs may submit a bill 
related to this report to the First Regular Session of the 127th Legislature. 
Approved: 03/26/14
LD 1849
LR 2874(01)
Legislative Cost/Study
Fiscal Detail and Notes
Fiscal Note
Legislative Cost/Study
The general operating expenses of this study are projected to be $1,500 annually in fiscal year 2013-14 and fiscal year 
2014-15.  The Legislature's proposed budget includes $10,000 in fiscal year 2013-14 and $10,000 in fiscal year 2014-
for legislative studies.  Whether the amounts are sufficient to fund all studies will depend on the number of studies 
authorized by the Legislative Council and the Legislature.  The additional costs of providing staffing assistance to the 
study during the interim can be absorbed utilizing existing budgeted staff resources.
Additional costs to the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, the Finance Authority of 
Maine and Maine Maritime Academy to serve on the commission and to provide the required staffing assistance and 
student financial assistance information can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources.
Resolve, To Establish the Commission To Study College Affordability and College Completion
Fiscal Note for Original Bill
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Fiscal Note Required: Yes
LR2874(01) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1