An Act To Support College Completion by Homeless Youth in Maine
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 0866
Committee Amendment CA_A_H321 (House)
Amends: 20-A MRSA §10014

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT " (-/,, to H.P. 640, L.D. 866, Bill, "An Act To 
Support College Completion by Homeless Youth in Maine" 
Amend the bill by strildng out everything after the enacting clause and inserting the 
following: 
'Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §10014 is enacted to read: 
§10014. Homeless students 
1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings. 
A. "Homeless student" means a student under 25 years of age who has been verified, 
at any time during the 24 months immediately preceding the student's admission to or 
while enrolled in a state postsecondary educational institution, as a homeless child or 
youth as defined in the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance 
Improvements Act of 2001, 42 United States Code, Section 11431 et seq. by: 
(1) The director of a governmental or nonprofit- agency that receives public or 
private funding to provide services to persons experiencing homelessness, or the 
director's designee: 
(2) 
A local education agency liaison for children and youth experiencing 
homelessness pursuant to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Education 
Assistance Improvements Act of 2001, 42 United States Code, Section 11431 et 
seq. or a school counselor or school social worker as defined in section 4008, 
subsection 1: 
(3) An attorney representing the student in any legal matter, if the student is 
under 18 years of age: 
(4) The director of a federal outreach and student services program designed to 
identify and provide services for economically disadvantaged individuals or a 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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,;1, 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT • .ft "to H.P. 640, L.D. 866 
federal program about gaining early awareness and readiness for undergraduate 
programs, or the director's designee; or 
(5) A financial aid administrator at a state postsecondary educational institution. 
B. 
"State postsecondary educational institution" means the University of Maine 
System and any college within the system, the Maine Community College System 
and any college within the system and Maine Maritime Academy. 
2. Homeless student liaison. Each state postsecondary educational institution may 
designate a staff member who is employed within the institution's financial aid office or 
another appropriate office or department to serve as the homeless student liaison. The 
homeless student liaison must have expertise in the financial aid eligibility of homeless 
students and in identifying services for homeless students. The liaison shall assist 
homeless students in applying for federal and state financial aid and applying for and 
receiving available services. 
3. Housing resources. When housing resources are offered by and available for 
occupancy at a state postsecondary educational institution, the state postsecondary 
educational institution shall: 
A. Give homeless students who are enrolled full-time in that state postsecondary 
educational institution priority for available housing resources, including but not 
limited to priority for housing facilities that remain open for occupation during 
academic and campus breaks; and 
B. Develop individual housing plans for homeless students who are enrolled full-
time. 
4. Homeless student financial assistance grant. Beginning in fiscal year 2020-21, 
each state postsecondary educational institution may award a homeless student a grant 
under this subsection. The grant award is limited to the amount of the cost of tuition, less 
all other financial aid received from a Federal Pell Grant or any other merit-based or 
needs-based grant or scholarship, not including a grant awarded under this subsection, 
that the homeless student is not required to repay. To be eligible for a grant under this 
subsection, a homeless student must have completed an application for federal student 
financial aid programs for which the student may be eligible for the academic year for 
which the student applies. The availability of the grant and the amount of the grant under 
this subsection are subject to the amounts appropriated by the Legislature. 
5. 
Fund. 
Each state postsecondary educational institution shall establish a 
nonlapsing fund to distribute grant awards pursuant to subsection 4. The University of 
Maine System, Maine Community College System and Maine Maritime Academy shall 
include the estimated full funding necessaiy to provide the grants under subsection 4 in 
the preparation of the biennial budget for presentation to the Governor and the 
Legislature.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment, which strikes and replaces the bill, does the following. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,p,, to H.P. 640, L.D. 866 
1. It defines as a homeless student a student under 25 years of age who has been 
verified, at any time during the 24 months immediately preceding the student's admission 
to or while enrolled in a state postsecondary educational institution, as a homeless child 
I 
or youth as defined in the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance 
Improvements Act of 2001. 
2. It requires each state postsecondary educational institution to designate a staff 
member as the homeless student liaison. 
3. It authorizes each state postsecondary educational institution to award a homeless 
student a financial assistance grant, which is limited to the amount of the cost of tuition 
less all other :financial aid received that a student is not required to repay. 
The 
availability of the grant and the amount of the grant is also subject to the amounts 
appropriated by the Legislature. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached} 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 05/14/19 frae. 
LD866 
LR 1564(02) 
An Act To Support College Completion by Homeless Youth in Maine 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment ,A,{ H-JJ J) 
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
Potential future biennium cost increase - General Fund 
This bill provides that, beginning in fiscal year 2020-21, each state postsecondary educational institution may award 
grants to eligible homeless students equal to the cost of tuition less all other financial aid received by the student, 
subject to funding provided by the Legislature. The cost of this provision can not be estimated at this time and will 
depend on the number of eligible homeless students, the cost of tuition and the amount of financial aid received by 
each student. The bill requires the University of Maine System (UMS), the Maine Community College System 
(MCCS) and the Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) to include the estimated amount of funding necessary to fully 
fund the grants as part of their biennial budget fonding request. 
Additional costs to the UMS, MCCS and MMA to provide a homeless student liaison to assist homeless students in 
applying for federal and state financial aid and to develop individual housing plans for homeless students who are 
enrolled as full-time students can be absorbed within existing budgeted resources. 
LR1564(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1