An Act To Facilitate Infonned Planning for Higher Education and Careers
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1746
Committee Amendment CA_A_H743 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to H.P. 1253, L.D. 1746, Bill, "An Act To 
Facilitate Infonned Planning for Higher Education and Careers" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 5 MRS A §12004-G, sub-§10-E is enacted to read: 
10-E. 
Education 
State Education and 
Expenses Only 
Employment 
Outcomes Task 
Force 
20-A MRSA § 1290 1 
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA c. 437 is enacted to read: 
CHAPTER 437 
STATE EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES TASK FORCE 
§12901. State Education and Employment Outcomes Task Force 
1. Task force established. The State Education and Employment Outcomes Task 
Force, established in Title 5, section 12004-G, subsection 10-E and referred to in this 
chapter as "the task force," is established to develop procedures to maintain and 
disseminate infonnation and data from the Department of Labor's educational outcome 
database, referred to in this chapter as "the database," including but not limited to 
infonnation and data on education results, program completion, graduation, credentials 
earned and employment and earnings outcomes for graduates of postsecondary 
educational institutions in the State over time. 
2. Membership. The task force consists of 15 members as follows: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,A" to H.P. 1253, L.D. 1746 
A. Four 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; and 
(3) 
A representative from the Maine School Management Association or a 
successor organization; 
B. Three 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; and 
(2) A representative from the Maine Community College System; 
C. Four 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 representative from the Maine State Chamber of Commerce or a successor 
organization; and 
(4) A person with expertise in state and national higher education policy; 
D. The Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's designee; 
E. The Commissioner of Labor or the commissioner's designee; 
F. The administrator ofthe database or the administrator's designee; and 
G. 
The Chief Executive Officer of the Finance Authority of Maine or the chief 
executive officer's designee. 
3. Meetings. The task force may meet no more than 4 times per calendar year. 
4. Chairs. The first-named Senate member is the Senate chair and the first-named 
House of Representatives member is the House chair ofthe task force. 
5. Terms of appointment. Nonlegislative appointed members of the task force 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. 
,6. Staffing. The, Legislative Council shall provide staff support to the task force, 
except that the Legislative Council staff support is not authorized when the Legislature is 
in regular or special session. The Department of Education and the Department of Labor 
shall provide assistance and information to the task force as is consistent with the 
departments' current federal grants related to the work of the task force and to the extent 
time and funding allow as determined by the departments. 
7. Duties. The task force shall: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 'A "to H.P. 1253, L.D. 1746 
A. 
Review procedures to maintain and disseminate information regarding the 
employment and earnings of graduates of postsecondary educational institutions in 
the State based on the database; 
B. Advise on the use of the information provided in the database by state agencies, 
higher education organizations that have partnerships with the task force, 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 regarding how to 
provide relevant, timely 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. 
Explore the feasibility of and possible methods for including data from the 
Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Office of Professional and 
Occupational Regulation regarding licensure, as well as data covering other 
workforce credentials, into the database. 
8. Reports; legislation. The task force shall report to the joint standing committee 
of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters, the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over labor matters and the joint select or 
joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over workforce training 
matters by November 1 st each year on the status of the database. The reports must 
describe funding sources for the database and the sustainability of that funding, how the 
website under subsection 7, paragraph C is used, including by whom and how frequently 
they use it, efforts to incorporate its use into secondary schools and any other issues the 
task force determines necessary. The task force shall as part of its report recommend 
whether the task force should continue its work, or if its work could best be handled by 
another entity. If the task force recommends that the task force should continue its work, 
it shall recommend any suggested changes in the membership and size of the task force. 
The task force may submit with the reports legislation required to implement its 
recommendations. 
Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. 
The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
LEGISLATURE 
Legislature 0081 
Initiative: Provides funding for the per diem and expenses of Legislators serving on the 
State Education and Employment Outcomes Task Force and other miscellaneous costs 
associated with the task force. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 1253, L.D. 1746 
GENERAL FUND 
Personal Services 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
SUMMARY 
2013-14 
$0 
$0 
$0 
2014-15 
$880 
$1,620 
$2,500 
This amendment of the Joint Select Committee on Maine's Workforce and Economic 
Future strikes and replaces the bill. It changes the name of the State Education and 
Employment Outcomes Commission to the State Education and Employment Outcomes 
Task Force. It also makes changes to the membership of the group, including a reduced 
size of 15 members instead of 24. It restricts the number of meetings the task force may 
have to 4 per year. It changes the responsibility for staffing the task force from the 
Department of Labor and Department of Education to the Legislative Council; under the 
amendment, the departments must provide information and assistance to the task force 
consistent with federal grant requirements and department resources. It eliminates the 
annual work plan duty of the task force and replaces it with a duty to explore the 
feasibility of incorporating licensure and other workforce certification data into the 
database. It also adds a reporting duty for the task force to the joint select or joint 
standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over workforce training matters 
and adds a reporting date of November 1 st. The task force is required to recommend in 
its report whether the task force should continue and, if so, to include any suggested 
changes in the membership or size of the task force. Further, the amendment eliminates 
the Education and Employment Outcomes Technical and Data Working Group in the bill 
and also eliminates the provision providing for staggered terms for the membership of the 
task force. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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Approved: 03118114 Mac.. 
LD 1746 
LR 2238(02) 
An Act To Facilitate Informed Planning for Higher Education and Careers 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment A" (t-t. -1lJ-3 ) 
Committee: Maine's Workforce and Economic Future 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/Allocations 
General Fund 
Legislative Cost/Study 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Legislative Cost/Study 
FY 2013-14 
FY 2014-15 
$0 
$2,500 
$0 
$2,500 
Projections 
FY 2015-16 
$2,500 
$2,500 
Projections 
FY 2016-17 
$2,500 
$2,500 
This bill includes a General Fund appropriation of $2,500 to the Legislature for the on-going annual per diem and 
expenses of Legislators and for other miscellaneous costs associated with the State Education and Employment 
Outcomes Task Force beginning in fiscal year 2014-15. The additional costs associated with providing staff 
assistance to the task force during the interim between legislative sessions can be absorbed by the Legislature utilizing 
existing budgeted resources. 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Additional costs to the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, Maine Maritime 
Academy and the Finance Authority of Maine associated with serving on the task force can be absorbed within 
existing budgeted resources. Additional costs to the Department of Education and the Department of Labor associated 
with serving on the task force and providing assistance and information to the task force can.be absorbed within 
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existing budgeted resources. 
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LR2238(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1