An Act To Support College Completion by Homeless Youth in Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 0866
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: BRENNAN, WARREN, CARSON, CRAVEN, EVANGELOS, GRAMLICH, JORGENSEN, MORALES, PERRY
Amends: 20-A MRSA §10014, 20-A MRSA §12572

Legislative Document
No. 866
H.P. 640
House of Representatives, February 19, 2019
An Act To Support College Completion by Homeless Youth in 
Maine
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative BRENNAN of Portland.
Cosponsored by Representative WARREN of Hallowell, Senator CARSON of Cumberland 
and Representatives: CRAVEN of Lewiston, EVANGELOS of Friendship, GRAMLICH of 
Old Orchard Beach, JORGENSEN of Portland, McCREA of Fort Fairfield, MORALES of 
South Portland, PERRY of Calais.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §10014 is enacted to read:
§10014.  Homeless youth
1.  Definitions.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings.
A.  "Homeless youth" means a person 21 years of age or younger who is 
unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian and is without shelter where appropriate 
care and supervision are available, whose parent or legal guardian is unable or 
unwilling to provide shelter and care or who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate 
nighttime residence.  For the purposes of this paragraph, "fixed, regular and adequate 
nighttime residence" does not include residence in an institution of higher education's 
on-campus housing.  "Homeless youth" does not include a person housed in a 
correctional facility, jail or detention facility.
B.  "Institution of higher education" means an educational institution that offers an 
accredited postsecondary educational degree program.
2.  Homeless liaison.  Each institution of higher education shall designate a staff 
member to serve as a liaison to assist homeless youth who are enrolled in that institution 
of higher education.
3.  On-campus housing.  Each institution of higher education that has a residential 
campus shall:
A.  Give homeless youth who are enrolled in that institution of higher education 
priority for on-campus housing, including but not limited to on-campus housing that 
remains open during school breaks;
B.  Develop a plan for housing homeless youth who are enrolled in that institution of 
higher education during school breaks; and
C.  Allow homeless youth who are enrolled part-time in that institution of higher 
education to access on-campus housing during the homeless youth's first year of 
school.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §12572, first ¶, as amended by PL 2005, c. 471, §2, is 
further amended to read:
Any person who was in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services 
and resided in foster care or subsidized adoptive care or, was a minor ward of a 
subsidized permanency guardian as provided in Title 22, section 4038-D at the time that 
person graduated from high school or successfully completed a general educational 
development examination or its equivalent under section 257 or is a homeless youth as 
defined in section 10014, subsection 1, paragraph A may attend, as provided in this 
section, any state postsecondary educational institution free of tuition charges.
Sec. 3.  Maine Revised Statutes headnote amended; revision clause.  In the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, chapter 429-A, in the chapter headnote, the words 
"tuition waiver at state postsecondary educational institutions for persons who have 
resided in foster care" are amended to read "tuition waiver at state postsecondary 
educational institutions for persons who have resided in foster care or are homeless 
youth" and the Revisor of Statutes shall implement this revision when updating, 
publishing or republishing the statutes.
SUMMARY
This bill requires institutions of higher education in the State to designate an existing 
staff member to serve as a liaison for homeless youth who are enrolled in that institution 
of higher education.  The bill also requires institutions of higher education to give 
homeless youth priority for on-campus housing, develop a plan to provide homeless 
youth housing during school breaks and allow homeless youth who are enrolled part-time 
to access on-campus housing during the homeless youth's first year of school. The bill 
also expands the tuition waiver for state postsecondary educational institutions to include 
tuition waivers for homeless youth.