An Act Expanding Access to Early Postsecondary Education
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1797
Committee Amendment CA_A_H783 (House)
Amends: 20-A MRSA §4772-C

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1289, L.D. 1797, Bill, "An Act 
Expanding Access to Early Postsecondary Education" 
Amend the bill in section 1 in §4771 in subsection 2 by striking out all of paragraphs 
B to D (page 1, lines 13 to 18 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'B. Enrolled in an adult education program pursuant to section 8605, subsection 1; or 
C. Enrolled in a private school approved for the receipt of public funds pursuant to 
section 295l.' 
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 4 and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 4. 20-A MRSA §4772-C is enacted to read: 
§4772-C. Postsecondary courses; student eligibility 
1. Student eligibility. A secondary school student may be eligible to receive state 
subsidy for postsecondary courses as specified in section 4775 if all the requirements of 
subsection 2 are satisfied and the student: 
A. Is enrolled in grade 11 or higher in the student's school; or 
B. Maintains a minimum secondary school grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 
scale of 4.0, or the equivalent of a "B" average, as determined by the school, unless 
the student has been granted a waiver by the eligible institution. 
2. Postsecondary courses. A student who meets the criteria pursuant to subsection 
may be eligible to receive state subsidy for postsecondary courses as specified in 
section 4775 as long as: 
A. The eligible institution is reasonably able to accommodate the secondary school 
student; 
B. 
The eligible institution has determined that the student has satisfactorily 
completed all course prerequisites; 
C. The school administration approves; 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1289, L.D. 1797 
D. The student's parent approves; and 
E. The student has received a recommendation to take a postsecondary course or 
courses at an eligible institution from the student's school administration or one of the 
student's secondary school teachers following an assessment of the student by the 
school administration.' 
Amend the bill in section 5 in §477 5 by striking out all of the first paragraph (page 2, 
lines 29 to 38 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'The department shall pay 50% of the in-state tuition for the first J. Q credit hours 
taken each semester by a student at an eligible institution and up to (; il credit hours per 
academic year. The eligible institution may not make any additional tuition charges for 
the course those courses but may impose fees and charges, other than tuition, that are 
ordinarily imposed on students not covered by this chapter. The department may pay 
these fees and charges for a high school student eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. 
Funds appropriated to the department to carry out the purposes of this chapter must be in 
addition to the customary and ongoing amounts appropriated for general purpose aid for 
local schools.' 
Amend the bill by adding after section 11 the following: 
'Sec. 12. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF 
General Purpose Aid for Local Schools 0308 
Initiative: Provides additional funds for eligible secondary school students to take 
postsecondary courses. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
SUMMARY 
2013-14 
$0 
$0 
2014-15 
$600,000 
$600,000 
This amendment makes the following changes to the bill regarding early 
postsecondary education programs: 
1. It clarifies that a secondary school student who is enrolled in an adult education 
program is eligible for a state subsidy for postsecondary courses; 
2. It strikes the provision related to a secondary school student who is participating in 
an approved home instruction program from the bill since the Maine Revised Statutes, 
Title 20-A, section 4772-B already specifies the eligibility requirements for a student who 
is participating in an approved home instruction program; 
3. It corrects the allocation of the proposed section regarding student eligibility to 
avoid a numbering conflict; 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1289, L.D. 1797 
4. It removes the provision in the bill that proposed to limit the number of secondary 
school students taking a postsecondary education course to no more than 113 of the 
number of students taking the course; and 
5. It corrects a cross-reference. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 03/31114 Mac 
LD 1797 
LR 2756(02) 
An Act Expanding Access to Early Postsecondary Education 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment fI' ( ~-1,{ 3) 
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Potential current biennium revenue decrease - Higher Educational Institutions 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/Allocations 
General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
FY 2013-14 
$0 
$0 
FY 2014-15 
$600,000 
$600,000 
Projections 
FY 2015-16 
$600,000 
$600,000 
Projections 
FY 2016-17 
$600,000 
$600,000 
This bill includes ongoing General Fund appropriations of $600,000 per year beginning in fiscal year 2014-15 to the 
General Purpose Aid for Local Schools program within the Department of Education to support the cost for all 
eligible secondary students to take postsecondary classes if they choose to do so. 
Legislation enacted during the 1 st Regular Session of the 126th Legislature both expanded the number of students 
eligible to take postsecondary classes and the number of credit hours that each eligible student may receive state 
tuition subsidy for. Public Law 2013, c. 368, the 2014-2015 biennial budget, provides General Fund support to the 
General Purpose Aid for Local Schools program of $400,000 per year for fiscal year 2013-14 and fiscal year 2014-15 
for eligible secondary students to take postsecondary classes. This funding is the same amount of funding that has 
been provided in previous fiscal years. No additional General Fund appropriations were provided to support either the· 
increase in the number of students eligible to take postsecondary classes or the increase in the number of credit hours 
the student may take. 
This bill further expands the number of eligible students to include all students enrolled in a private school approved 
to receive public funds and secondary school students enrolled in an adult education program. The Department of 
Education indicates that the current $400,000 per year level offunding is limiting participation in the program and 
estimates that an additional $600,000 per year of General Fund support is needed in order to ensure that sufficient 
funding is available to support the anticipated increase in demand. 
LR2756(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of2 
tA (H-7~3) 
Expanding the number of secondary students that are eligible to take postsecondary classes under certain conditions 
will increase the amount of tuition revenue that must be waived by the University of Maine System, the Maine 
Community College System and the Maine Maritime Academy. The impact will depend on the actual increase in the 
number of eligible secondary students that take postsecondary classes per academic year. 
LR2756(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 2 of2