An Act To Establish the Public Higher Education Systems Coordinating Committee
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1441
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Amends: 20-A MRSA §9

Legislative Document 
No. 1441 
S.P. 543 
In Senate, June 2, 2015 
An Act To Establish the Public Higher Education Systems 
Coordinating Committee 
Reported by Senator LANGLEY of Hancock for the Joint Standing Committee on 
Education and Cultural Affairs pursuant to Joint Order 2015, S.P. 185. 
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 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §9, as amended by PL 2013, c. 368, Pt. DDDDD, §1, is 
repealed and the following enacted in its place: 
§9.  Public Higher Education Systems Coordinating Committee 
1.  Committee established.  The Public Higher Education Systems Coordinating 
Committee, referred to in this section as "the committee," is established to promote 
efficiency, cooperative effort and strategic planning between the University of Maine 
System and the Maine Community College System, referred to in this section as "the 
systems." 
2.  Membership.  The committee consists of the Chancellor of the University of 
Maine System, the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System, the 
President of the Maine Community College System and the Chair of the Board of 
Trustees of the Maine Community College System.  The members of the committee may 
appoint designees to a subcommittee. 
3.  Duties.  The committee shall seek to achieve greater collaboration and 
cooperation between the systems in order to address issues including, but not limited to, 
the following: 
A.  Improving college affordability; 
B.  Minimizing or eliminating barriers to student transfer between the systems; 
C.  Reducing unnecessary duplication of programs between the systems; 
D.  Identifying opportunities for sharing best practices and individual efficiencies, 
building cross-system economies of scale and sharing of resources; 
E.  Recommending changes to state laws that would improve the systems' efficiency 
or effectiveness; 
F.  In consultation with the President of the Maine Maritime Academy and the Chair 
of the Board of Trustees of the Maine Maritime Academy, investigating and pursuing 
opportunities for collaboration and resource sharing with the Maine Maritime 
Academy.  The committee shall notify the President of the Maine Maritime Academy 
of committee meetings and agenda items; and 
G.  In consultation with the commissioner and the chair of the state board, 
investigating and pursuing opportunities to improve college preparation, transition 
and completion for Maine's secondary students, including supporting early college 
opportunities and improving credit transfer between secondary and postsecondary 
school systems. 
4.  Meetings.  The committee shall meet at least twice each year and the committee 
members' designees may meet more frequently.  The chancellor shall convene the first 
meeting of the committee by October 15, 2015.  The committee shall establish a meeting 
schedule, and the initial work must include an accounting of the members' prior and 
current efforts to promote efficiency, cooperative effort and strategic planning between 
the systems.  The committee shall elect a chair from among its members to serve for a 
term to be determined by the committee. 
5.  Reporting.  The committee shall report succinctly on its deliberations and any 
recommendations to the Governor and the joint standing committee of the Legislature 
having jurisdiction over education matters by February 15th each year. 
SUMMARY 
This bill is reported out pursuant to joint order by the Joint Standing Committee on 
Education and Cultural Affairs. 
The bill replaces the Education Coordinating Committee with the Public Higher 
Education Systems Coordinating Committee to: 
1.  Promote efficiency, cooperative effort and strategic planning between the 
governance structures of the University of Maine System and the Maine Community 
College System and address issues including, but not limited to, improving college 
affordability, promoting student transfer between the systems, reducing the duplication of 
programs, identifying opportunities for building cross-system economies of scale and 
sharing of resources and recommending statutory changes to improve the efficiency or 
effectiveness of the public institutions of higher education; 
2.  Investigate and pursue opportunities for collaboration and resource sharing with 
the Maine Maritime Academy; and 
3.  With the Commissioner of Education and the Chair of the State Board of 
Education, investigate and pursue opportunities to improve college preparation, transition 
and completion for Maine's secondary students. 
The first meeting of the committee must be convened by October 15, 2015 and the 
committee is directed to meet at least twice each year. 
The committee is required to submit a report on its deliberations, including any 
recommendations, to the Governor and the joint standing committee of the Legislature 
having jurisdiction over education matters by February 15th each year.