An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To Study College Affordability and College Completion
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1406
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Amends: 20-A MRSA §11614, 20-A MRSA §11617

Legislative Document 
No. 1406 
S.P. 524 
In Senate, May 12, 2015 
An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To 
Study College Affordability and College Completion 
(EMERGENCY) 
Reported by Senator LANGLEY of Hancock for the Joint Standing Committee on 
Education and Cultural Affairs pursuant to Resolve 2013, chapter 109, section 8. 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
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 provide additional funding beginning in fiscal year 2015-16 to the 
Finance Authority of Maine for the expansion of the Maine State Grant Program, to the 
Maine Community College System for the annual costs of 27 College Navigator positions 
and to the Maine Community College System for the annual costs of expanding student 
work study opportunities; and 
Whereas, the Finance Authority of Maine needs sufficient time to adopt rules for 
the Maine State Grant Program in order to provide additional grant funding to eligible 
students beginning with the 2015-2016 academic year; 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 enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §11614, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2011, c. 642, §3, is 
further amended to read: 
2.  Minimum amount.  It is the intent of the Legislature that grants awarded under 
this chapter, except as provided in subsections 4, 5 and 6, may not be less than $1,000 
$1,500. The authority may establish by rule increased grant amounts for students 
attending their 2nd, 3rd and 4th years, or the equivalents thereof, at institutions of higher 
education.  Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as 
defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §11617, sub-§4 is enacted to read: 
4.  Annual report.  The authority shall, by January 15, 2016, and by January 15th 
each year thereafter, report on the levels of grant awards made from the Maine State 
Grant Program to eligible students, including the tiered grants awarded in accordance 
with authority rules to eligible students attending their 2nd, 3rd and 4th years, or the 
equivalents thereof, at institutions of higher education, to the joint standing committee of 
the Legislature having jurisdiction over education and cultural affairs.  The report 
submitted by the authority must also include any data, findings and recommendations 
related to college affordability and the unmet need levels of Maine college students, 
including analyses submitted in any studies conducted by the New England Board of 
Higher Education during the year. 
Sec. 3.  College attainment and degree completion goals; report.  The 
University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System and the Maine 
Maritime Academy shall each submit a report to the Joint Standing Committee on 
Education and Cultural Affairs by July 1, 2015 regarding their progress in implementing 
the goals and objectives pertaining to college attainment and degree completion specified 
in the "Statewide Education and Workforce Development Strategic Plan" report 
submitted by the Education Coordinating Committee to the Joint Select Committee on 
Maine's Workforce and Economic Future on January 30, 2014. 
Sec. 4.  Strategic plan and funding required to implement college 
completion strategies; report.  The boards of trustees for the University of Maine 
System, the Maine Community College System and the Maine Maritime Academy shall 
each submit a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs 
by July 1, 2015 regarding their reactions to the strategies included in the October 2013 
"The Game Changers" report prepared by Complete College America to enable more 
college students to complete degree programs and certificate programs and graduate from 
college.  The report submitted by each board of trustees must include which strategies 
were agreed upon, what additional resources would be required to implement these 
strategies, what plan of action has been adopted and what assistance is necessary from the 
State to support the implementation of these strategies. 
Sec. 5.  Statutory college attainment goal; task force.  Notwithstanding Joint 
Rule 353, the Task Force To Study College Attainment and Degree Completion Goals, 
referred to in this section as "the task force," is established. 
1. The task force consists of 15 members as follows: 
A. Five members appointed by the President of the Senate, including not more than 2 
members from the party holding the largest number of seats in the Legislature, as 
follows: 
(1)  One member of the Senate who serves on the Joint Standing Committee on 
Education and Cultural Affairs, who shall serve as a cochair of the task force; 
(2) One member of the Senate who serves on the Joint Standing Committee on 
Appropriations and Financial Affairs; 
(3) One member of the Senate who serves on the Joint Standing Committee on 
Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development; 
(4) One member who serves on the Board of Directors of the Maine 
Development Foundation; and 
(5) One member who serves on the Board of Directors of Educate Maine; 
B. Six members appointed by the Speaker of the House, including not more than 2 
members from the party holding the largest number of seats in the Legislature, as 
follows: 
(1) Two members of the House of Representatives who serve on the Joint 
Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, the first of whom shall 
serve as a cochair of the task force; 
(2) One member of the House of Representatives who serves on the Joint 
Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs; 
(3) One member of the House of Representatives who serves on the Joint 
Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic 
Development; 
(4) One member who serves on the Board of Directors of the Maine State 
Chamber of Commerce; and 
(5) One member who serves on the Advisory Council of the Maine Centers for 
Women, Work and Community; 
C. The Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's designee; 
D. The Commissioner of Labor or the commissioner's designee; 
E. The Commissioner of Economic and Community Development or the 
commissioner's designee; and 
F. One public member appointed by the Governor. 
2. All appointments must be made no later than 30 days following the effective date 
of this Act. 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 task 
force, which must be no later than 30 days following the appointment of all members.  
The task force may meet 5 times. 
3.  The study conducted by the task force must include, but is not limited to: 
A.  A review of the college completion findings and recommendations included in the 
December 2014 report submitted by the Commission To Study College Affordability 
and College Completion to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural 
Affairs, including the college attainment goals proposed to the commission by 
Educate Maine, the attainment goals established by the Lumina Foundation and the 
"40-40-20" aspirational goal for all levels of education established by the State of 
Oregon; 
B.  An examination and review of the secondary and postsecondary education 
attainment metrics contained within: 
(1)  The Department of Education's Maine Statewide Longitudinal Data System 
developed pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 6005; 
(2)  The Department of Labor's Maine Workforce Data Quality Initiative; 
(3)  Educate Maine's Education Indicators for Maine annual report; 
(4)  The Maine Development Foundation's Measures of Growth annual report; 
and 
(5)  The initiatives, research and data conducted and compiled by regional, 
national and state associations or agencies related to the establishment of 
postsecondary education attainment goals, as well as the review and monitoring 
of the postsecondary education attainment metrics related to the established 
goals; 
C.  A review of 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; 
D.  A discussion with the public and independent colleges and universities in the 
State to recognize the extent to which Maine's institutions of higher education may 
support proposed state policies and strategies to enable more college and university 
students to complete degree programs and certificate programs and graduate from 
Maine institutions of higher education; and 
E.  An analysis of other policies and strategies that a majority of the task force 
members agree to include in this study. 
4.  The task force shall seek outside funding to fully fund all costs of the task force 
and in accordance with the policy of the Legislative Council with regard to outside 
funding.  If sufficient outside funding has not been received by the task force by 30 days 
after the effective date of this Act to fully fund all costs of the commission, no meetings 
are authorized and no expenses of any kind may be incurred or reimbursed. 
5.  The University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System and the 
Maine Maritime Academy shall provide necessary staffing services to the task force.  The 
Department of Education, the Department of Labor, the University of Maine System, the 
Maine Community College System, the Maine Maritime Academy and the Finance 
Authority of Maine shall provide the task force with access to any nonconfidential 
aggregate information in their student record databases for postsecondary education 
students in the State necessary to carry out the duties of the task force.  The Office of 
Policy and Legal Analysis shall provide drafting assistance to the task force. 
6.  The task force shall submit a report containing its findings and recommendations, 
including any necessary implementing legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee on 
Education and Cultural Affairs by December 15, 2015.  The findings and 
recommendations submitted by the task force must relate to at least the following 
proposals: 
A.  The development of policies and strategies to increase the graduation rate of 
students enrolled in state-supported public institutions of higher education; 
B.  The establishment of a statutory postsecondary education attainment goal for the 
proportion of the State's adult population holding an associate degree or baccalaureate 
degree that is not lower than 50% by 2025; and 
C.  The development of annual or biennial review procedures to be conducted by the 
joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education and 
cultural affairs for monitoring the secondary and postsecondary education attainment 
metrics contained within the Department of Education's Maine Statewide 
Longitudinal Data System, the Department of Labor's Maine Workforce Data Quality 
Initiative, Educate Maine's Education Indicators for Maine annual report and the 
Maine Development Foundation's Measures of Growth annual report. 
The joint standing committee may submit a bill related to this report to the Second 
Regular Session of the 127th Legislature. 
Sec. 6.  Maine State Grant Program tiered funding; rulemaking.  The 
Finance Authority of Maine, referred to in this section as "FAME," shall amend the 
Maine State Grant Program rules adopted in accordance with Public Law 2011, chapter 
in order to increase the grant amounts that may be awarded for eligible students 
attending their 2nd, 3rd and 4th years, or the equivalents thereof, at institutions of higher 
education.  The Maine State Grant Program rules related to the determination of tiered 
grant awards for eligible students must be amended to include the following provisions: 
1.  An eligible student for whom FAME does not require any expected family 
contribution toward the cost of attending an institution of higher learning is eligible for 
tiered grants starting at an annual award of $2,500 with an annual increase of $250 for 
each year that the student is enrolled; and 
2.  An eligible student for whom FAME requires an expected family contribution 
toward the cost of attending an institution of higher learning is eligible for tiered grants 
starting at an annual award of $1,500 with an annual increase of $250 for each year that 
the student is enrolled. 
FAME shall amend the Maine State Grant Program rules authorized pursuant to the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 11614, subsection 2 in order to implement 
these changes to the tiered grant awards beginning with the 2015-2016 academic year. 
Sec. 7.  Appropriations and allocations.  The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
FINANCE AUTHORITY OF MAINE 
Student Financial Assistance Programs 0653 
Initiative:  Provides funding for the annual costs of increasing the tiered grants awarded 
to eligible students from the Maine State Grant Program. 
COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM, BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE MAINE 
Maine Community College System - Board of Trustees 0556 
Initiative:  Provides funding for the annual costs of 27 College Navigator positions. 
GENERAL FUND 
2015-16
2016-17
All Other 
$27,000,000
$27,000,000
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
$27,000,000
$27,000,000
Maine Community College System - Board of Trustees 0556 
Initiative:  Provides funding for the annual costs of expanding student work study 
opportunities. 
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this 
legislation takes effect when approved. 
SUMMARY 
This legislation is an emergency bill that includes certain recommendations proposed 
by the Commission To Study College Affordability and College Completion for 
consideration by the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs. 
The joint standing committee has not taken a position on the substance of the report 
or this bill and by submitting this bill the committee is not suggesting and does not intend 
to suggest that it agrees or disagrees with any aspect of the recommendations and the 
necessary changes to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, chapter 419-A included in 
the report or this bill. The joint standing committee is submitting the bill for the sole 
purpose of turning the proposals in the report into a printed bill that can be referred to the 
committee for an appropriate public hearing and subsequent processing in the normal 
course of business. The joint standing committee is taking this action to ensure clarity and 
transparency in the legislative review of the proposals included in the report submitted by 
the Commission To Study College Affordability and College Completion. 
GENERAL FUND 
2015-16
2016-17
All Other 
$1,800,000
$1,800,000
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
$1,800,000
$1,800,000
GENERAL FUND 
2015-16
2016-17
All Other 
$2,000,000
$2,000,000
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
$2,000,000
$2,000,000