An Act To Create the Put ME To Work Program
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1373
Committee Amendment CA_A_H442 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" A" to H.P. 932, L.D. 1373, Bill, "An Act To 
Create the Put ME To Work Program" 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 1 in § 12730 in subsection 2 in paragraph B in the 
last line (page 1, line 25 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "jobs; and" and inserting 
the following: 
'jobs or in an industry in which technology or work practices have 
significantly changed to require training to assist new workers to acquire needed skills or 
incumbent workers to remain current and competitive;' 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 1 in § 12730 in subsection 2 in paragraph C in the 
last line (page 1, line 29 in L.D.) by striking out the following: 
"employment." and 
inserting the following: 'employment; and' 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 1 in §12730 in subsection 2 by inserting after 
paragraph C the following; 
'D. In order to participate, a business must agree to hire a person who successfully 
completes the job training program at a post-training wage that is at least $2.50 per 
hour more than the minimum hourly wage rate established in state law and to provide 
successful incumbent worker trainees with an increase in the hourly wage to meet or 
exceed the median wage for that occupation in the State as identified by the Center 
for Workforce Research and Information within the Department of Labor.' 
An1end the bill in Part A in section 1 in §12730 in subsection 3 in the 3rd line (page 
1, line 32 in L.D.) by inserting after the following; "training program." the following; 'IT 
the job training program includes academic credit, the program may coordinate with the 
financial aid office of the sponsoring postsecondary education institution to deliver an 
_ award to an individual student; the award must be used to assist with all or partial unmet 
expenses for tuition, fees or books after any existing [mancial aid resources are used. 
Amend the bill in Part A in section 1 in § 12730 by striking out all of subsection 4 
(page 1, lines 34 and 35 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'4. Rules. The Board of Trustees of the Maine Community College System shall 
amend or adopt as necessary the centers' operational policies and procedures in order to 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
KOPS 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,A "to H.P. 932, L.D. 1373 
implement the provisions of this section. In selecting awardees for the program, the board 
of trustees shall consider: 
A. Whether the business provides fringe benefits and what those fringe benefits are; 
B. Economic impacts to the local or regional economy; 
C. The ability of the business to leverage other resources both in the short term and 
the long term; 
D. The record of the business in training individuals who have historically faced 
barriers to employment and individuals who are unemployed or underemployed; 
E. Occupational outcomes of individuals who have been trained by the business; and 
F. Factors determined appropriate by the board of trustees. 
Recruitment of prospective trainees· and preliminary screening and testing for funded 
partnerships must be done in conjunction with the Department of Labor's career centers, 
as well as with state job training providers, industry pminers and other referring 
organizations as appropriate and consistent with the program. 
To be considered eligible for training under this program, applicants must meet the 
specific training program's related academic and admissions standards. Individuals that 
do not meet threshold academic standards may be referred to available community 
remediation services. Individuals enrolled in the program must maintain satisfactory 
academic performance and meet all requirements in order to continue enrollment in the 
program.' 
Amend the bill in Part A by striking out all of sections 2 and 3 and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec. 2. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM, BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE MAINE 
Community College System - Maine Quality Centers 0804 
Initiative: Provides funds for needs-based tuition assistance and grants for persons 
participating in the Put ME to Work Program and to be used to match funding or in-kind 
contributions by businesses participating in the Put ME to Work Program. 
GENERAL FUND 
All Other 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
2015-16 
$1,000,000 
$1,000,000 
2016-17 
$1,000,000 
$1,000,000 
Amend the bill by striking out all of Part B. 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
ROPS 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT i~" to H.P. 932, L.D. 1373 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which is the majority report of the Joint Standing Committee on 
Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development, eliminates the $100,000 
funding in the bill for the Industry Partnership Assistance Collaborative and instead adds 
it to the appropriation for the Maine Community College System's Maine Quality Centers 
for a total of $1,000,000 in each year of the fiscal biennium. The Maine Quality Centers 
appropriation is consolidated to include use both for tuition assistance for individuals 
participating in workforce training and to match funding and contributions from 
participating businesses. 
. The amendment directs the Board of Trustees of the Maine Community College 
System to adopt necessary policies and procedures for the Maine Quality Centers, 
including consideration of at least 5 specific factors. It also requires program participants 
to use existing financial aid resources available through their sponsoring postsecondary 
education institution before using program resources, which may be used only for unrnet 
expenses for tuition, fees or books. 
Additionally, the amendment requires participating employers under the Put ME to 
Work Program to hire successful trainees at a rate at least $2.50 per hour more than the 
minimum hourly wage rate as set in Maine statute and to pay incumbent worker trainees 
an hourly wage that meets or exceeds the median wage for that occupation as identified 
by the Center for Workforce Research and Information within the Department of Labor. 
The amendment eliminates the provision of the bill that allows employers to make 
voluntary donations to the Competitive Skills Scholarship Fund. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 06/10/15 
~LZC: 
LD 1373 
LR 1112(02) 
An Act To Create the Put ME To Work Program 
~'iscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment it, C 
1-1 - 4-L/-;l.) 
Committee: Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/Allocations 
General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2015-16 
FY 2016-17 
$1,000,000 
$1,000,000 
$1,000,000 
$1,000,000 
Projections 
FY 2017-18 
$1,000,000 
$1,000,000 
Projections 
FY 2018-19 
$1,000,000 
$1,000,000 
This bill includes ongoing General Fund appropriations to the Maine Quality Centers within the Maine Community 
College System for needs-based tuition assistance and grants for persons participating in the Put ME to Work 
Program and to match funding or in-kind contributions by businesses participating in the program. 
Additional costs to the Maine Community College System to amend or adopt policies and procedures to implement 
the Put ME to Work Program can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
LRll12(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1