An Act To Improve Degree and Career Attainment for Former Foster Children
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1683
Committee Amendment CA_A_H753 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" f1" 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 the title and substituting the following: 
'Resolve, To Improve Degree and Career Attainment for Former Foster Children' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and before the summary and 
inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. Transition grant program. Resolved: That 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. The department shall 
adopt rules to implement the program that include the following requirements. 
1. An eligible individual must be at least 21 years of age but less than 27 years of 
age, must have exited the voluntary extended care and support agreement with the State 
under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 4037-A at 21 years of age and must 
be enrolled in a postsecondary education institution. 
2. 
The transition grant is for postsecondary support up to the completion of an 
undergraduate degree. The rules must include the level of financial support, which must 
be equivalent to the current voluntary extended foster care supports pursuant to the Maine 
Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 4037 -A. 
The rules must include duration limits, 
including a 6-year maximum for a 4-year degree and a 4-year maximum for a 2-year 
degree. 
The rules must include duration limits for other types of postsecondary 
education. 
3. 
The program must include postsecondary education navigator services that 
provide transitional services and college support, and the rules must include the specifics 
of those services. 
4. 
The rules must 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 postsecondary education navigator 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT"~" to H.P. 1206, L.D. 1683 
under section 2, professionals who work with transitional foster youth, employers, 
representatives of the Department of Health and Human Services and other interested 
parties. The rules must determine the membership, terms of office and voting procedures 
of the advisory committee and other specifics of its governance structure and require the 
advisory committee to provide an annual report to the Department of Health and Human 
Services and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over 
health and human services matters. 
5. The number of individuals receiving transition grants must be limited to no more 
than 40 individuals at anyone time. 
Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A; and be it further 
Sec. 2. Postsecondary education navigator. Resolved: That the Department 
of Health and Human Services shall develop the roles and responsibilities for one 
postsecondary education navigator to be hired by the department to provide transitional 
services and college student support for individuals in the transition grant program 
established in section 1. The postsecondary education navigator must be a member of the 
advisory committee established in section 1, subsection 4 and provide data to the advisory 
committee.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment replaces the bill with a resolve that 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, including 
rules governing eligibility, levels of financial support, duration of assistance and 
postsecondary education navigator services. 
The rules must also establish the 
membership, terms, voting procedures and governance structure of an advisory 
committee to advise the department and to 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 be hired by the department 
to provide transitional services and college student support for those individuals in the 
transition grant program. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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LD 1683 
LR 2389(02) 
An Act To Improve Degree and Career Attainment for Former Foster Children 
Fiscal Note for BiU as Amended by Committee Amendment .~. (Ii -7:5 ~ 
Committee: Health and Human Services 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/Allocations 
General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2013-14 
FY 2014-15 
$0 
$149,827 
$0 
$149,827 
Projections 
FY 2015-16 
$302,898 
$302,898 
Projections 
FY 2016-17 
$305,857 
$305,857 
Provides appropriations totaling $149,827 in fiscal year 2014-15 for the State-funded Foster Care/Adoption 
Assistance program in the Department of Health and Human Services. Included in this total is $100,000 in fiscal year 
2014-15 for six months of 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 
the resolve's limit of40 grants awarded but an effective start date on January 1, 2015. Also included in the total is an 
appropriation of $49,827 in fiscal year 2014-15 for the department to contract for a post-secondary education 
navigator and for related administrative costs. 
LR2389(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1 
cAl~-7!)3) 
Sec. 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 age 21 
years old and actively pursuing post-secondary education. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
State-funded Foster Care/Adoption Assistance 0139 
2013-14 
$0 
$0 
Initiative: Appropriates funds to contract for a post-secondary education navigator and for related administrative costs. 
GENERAL FUND 
2013-14 
All Other 
$0 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
$0 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF (FORMERLY DHS) 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
2013-14 
GENERAL FUND 
$0 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS 
$0 
LR2389(02) - App-Alloc Part Sec. 0 - Page 1 of 1 
2014-15 
$100,000 
$100,000 
2014-15 
$49,827 
$49,827 
2014-15 
$149,827 
$149,827