An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To Strengthen and Align the Services Provided to Maine's Veterans by Requiring the University of Maine System To Provide Supportive Services to Student-veterans
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1625
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Amends: 20-A MRSA §10910

Legislative Document 
No. 1625 
H.P. 1104 
House of Representatives, March 1, 2016 
An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To 
Strengthen and Align the Services Provided to Maine's Veterans by 
Requiring the University of Maine System To Provide Supportive 
Services to Student-veterans 
Reported by Representative LUCHINI of Ellsworth for the Joint Standing Committee on 
Veterans and Legal Affairs pursuant to Resolve 2015, chapter 48, section 7. 
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §10910 is enacted to read: 
§10910.  Assistance to student-veterans 
No later than January 15, 2017, the university shall establish on each campus of the 
university that has a student population with a significant number of enrolled student-
veterans an office at which a student-veteran recently separated from military service may 
obtain assistance with that student-veteran's transition from military service to the campus 
environment and support for the successful completion of the student-veteran's 
postsecondary education.  The office must also serve as a resource for students, faculty 
and staff who are not veterans in order to create awareness about the issues faced by 
student-veterans recently separated from military service.  The university shall ensure that 
each office established pursuant to this section, to the greatest extent possible, provides 
services offered at a similar office serving the University of Southern Maine campuses 
during the 2015-2016 academic year.  As used in this section, "a significant number of 
enrolled student-veterans" means 25 or more student-veterans or a number of student-
veterans equal to or greater than 5% of the number of enrolled students, whichever is less.  
As used in this section, "veteran" means a person who served on active duty as a member 
of the National Guard or in the United States Armed Forces, including the Reserves of the 
United States Armed Forces, who has received a discharge other than dishonorable. 
SUMMARY 
This bill implements one of the recommendations made by the final report of the 
Commission To Strengthen and Align the Services Provided to Maine's Veterans and is 
submitted pursuant to Resolve 2015, chapter 48.  The bill requires each campus of the 
University of Maine System with a significant number of student-veterans to include an 
office that provides assistance to those veterans with the intent of facilitating transition 
from military life and supporting successful completion of the veterans' postsecondary 
education.  The bill requires that any office established pursuant to this bill must use, to 
the greatest extent possible, the office at the University of Southern Maine as a model.