An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Strengthen Maine's Health Care Workforce
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 1597
Committee: Appropriations and Financial Affairs
Sponsors: PIERCE, BRENNAN, CRAVEN, MADIGAN, MEYER, STOVER, ZAGER, CHIPMAN, SANBORN
Amends: 22 MRSA §2127

Legislative Document
No. 1597
H.P. 1186
House of Representatives, April 27, 2021
An Act To Authorize a General Fund Bond Issue To Strengthen 
Maine's Health Care Workforce
Reference to the Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative PIERCE of Falmouth.
Cosponsored by Representatives: BRENNAN of Portland, CRAVEN of Lewiston, MADIGAN 
of Waterville, MEYER of Eliot, STOVER of Boothbay, ZAGER of Portland, Senators: 
CHIPMAN of Cumberland, SANBORN of Cumberland.
Preamble.  Two thirds of both Houses of the Legislature deeming it necessary in 
accordance with the Constitution of Maine, Article IX, Section 14 to authorize the issuance 
of bonds on behalf of the State of Maine to provide funds as described in this Act,
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
PART A
Sec. A-1.  Authorization of bonds.  The Treasurer of State is authorized, under the 
direction of the Governor, to issue bonds in the name and on behalf of the State in an 
amount not exceeding $11,000,000 for the purposes described in section 5 of this Part.  The 
bonds are a pledge of the full faith and credit of the State.  The bonds may not run for a 
period longer than 10 years from the date of the original issue of the bonds.
Sec. A-2.  Records of bonds issued; Treasurer of State. The Treasurer of State 
shall ensure that an account of each bond is kept showing the number of the bond, the name 
of the successful bidder to whom sold, the amount received for the bond, the date of sale 
and the date when payable.
Sec. A-3.  Sale; how negotiated; proceeds appropriated.  The Treasurer of 
State may negotiate the sale of the bonds by direction of the Governor, but no bond may 
be loaned, pledged or hypothecated on behalf of the State.  The proceeds of the sale of the 
bonds, which must be held by the Treasurer of State and paid by the Treasurer of State 
upon warrants drawn by the State Controller, are appropriated solely for the purposes set 
forth in this Part.  Any unencumbered balances remaining at the completion of the project 
in this Part lapse to the Office of the Treasurer of State to be used for the retirement of 
general obligation bonds.
Sec. A-4.  Interest and debt retirement.  The Treasurer of State shall pay interest 
due or accruing on any bonds issued under this Part and all sums coming due for payment 
of bonds at maturity.
Sec. A-5.  Disbursement of bond proceeds from General Fund bond issue.  
The proceeds of the sale of the bonds authorized under this Part must be expended as 
designated in the following schedule under the direction and supervision of the agencies 
and entities set forth in this section.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Provides funds to award grants to the University of New England Institute for 
Interprofessional Education and Practice to improve and expand collaborative team-
based education of health care workers, including training in the use of telehealth and 
other technologies, to increase access to high-quality health care and to upgrade the 
capacity of federally qualified health centers and other community-based health care 
clinics and hospitals throughout the State in order to facilitate educational and clinical 
links to the University of New England Institute for Interprofessional Education and 
Practice and to enhance and expand their capacity to provide access to high-quality 
health care.
Total
$11,000,000
Sec. A-6.  Contingent upon ratification of bond issue.  Sections 1 to 5 do not 
become effective unless the people of the State ratify the issuance of the bonds as set forth 
in this Part.
Sec. A-7.  Appropriation balances at year-end.  At the end of each fiscal year, 
all unencumbered appropriation balances representing state money carry forward.  Bond 
proceeds that have not been expended within 10 years after the date of the sale of the bonds 
lapse to the Office of the Treasurer of State to be used for the retirement of general 
obligation bonds.
Sec. A-8.  Bonds authorized but not issued.  Any bonds authorized but not issued 
within 5 years of ratification of this Part are deauthorized and may not be issued, except 
that the Legislature may, within 2 years after the expiration of that 5-year period, extend 
the period for issuing any remaining unissued bonds for an additional amount of time not 
to exceed 5 years.
Sec. A-9.  Referendum for ratification; submission at election; form of 
question; effective date.  This Part must be submitted to the legal voters of the State at 
a statewide election held in the month of November following passage of this Act.  The 
municipal officers of this State shall notify the inhabitants of their respective cities, towns 
and plantations to meet, in the manner prescribed by law for holding a statewide election, 
to vote on the acceptance or rejection of this Part by voting on the following question:
"Do you favor an $11,000,000 bond issue to increase access to high-quality 
health care by expanding Maine's health care workforce and clinical 
capacity to use telehealth and other technologies through the awarding of 
grants to the University of New England, federally qualified health centers 
and other community-based health care clinics and hospitals throughout 
the State?"
The legal voters of each city, town and plantation shall vote by ballot on this question 
and designate their choice by a cross or check mark placed within a corresponding square 
below the word "Yes" or "No."  The ballots must be received, sorted, counted and declared 
in open ward, town and plantation meetings and returns made to the Secretary of State in 
the same manner as votes for members of the Legislature.  The Governor shall review the 
returns.  If a majority of the legal votes are cast in favor of this Part, the Governor shall 
proclaim the result without delay and this Part becomes effective 30 days after the date of 
the proclamation.
The Secretary of State shall prepare and furnish to each city, town and plantation all 
ballots, returns and copies of this Part necessary to carry out the purposes of this 
referendum.
PART B
Sec. B-1.  22 MRSA §2127, sub-§6-B is enacted to read:
6-B.  Monitoring of grants.  A program director or chief executive officer approved 
pursuant to subsection 2, paragraph C, subparagraph (3) shall monitor contracts resulting 
from grant awards established by the department concerning the programs of federally 
qualified health centers and other community-based health care clinics and hospitals 
affiliated with a center promoting interprofessional health care education and practice 
efforts at a university in the State.
PART C
Sec. C-1.  Interprofessional education of health care workers.  Of the bond 
issue approved by the voters pursuant to Part A, $7,000,000 must be used to fund the 
University of New England Institute for Interprofessional Education and Practice to 
improve and expand collaborative team-based education of health care workers, including 
training in the use of telehealth and other technologies, to increase access to high-quality 
health care.
PART D
Sec. D-1.  Grants to community-based health care clinics and hospitals.  Of 
the bond issue approved by the voters pursuant to Part A, $4,000,000 must be used to offer 
competitive grants pursuant to this Part.  The grants must to be used to upgrade the capacity 
of federally qualified health centers and other community-based health care clinics and 
hospitals throughout the State in order to facilitate educational and clinical links to the 
University of New England Institute for Interprofessional Education and Practice and to 
enhance and expand their capacity to provide access to high-quality health care.  The 
Department of Health and Human Services shall establish the Health Care Advisory 
Committee, referred to in this Part as "the committee."
1. Membership.  The Commissioner of Health and Human Services or the 
commissioner's designee shall serve as the chair of the committee and shall appoint the 
following 6 members: 
A. A representative of critical access hospitals in this State;
B. A representative of a statewide organization representing low-income individuals;
C. A representative of an organization representing federally qualified health centers;
D. A representative of a foundation based in this State committed to improving the 
health of citizens in this State who has experience funding direct service for health 
care;
E. An individual representing physicians who has experience with health care; and
F. A representative of the University of New England.
2. Appointments.  The committee must be appointed and convene within 30 days of 
the passage of the referendum set out in Part A.
3. Duties.  The committee shall create an application for grants for interested parties 
within 60 days of passage of the referendum in Part A.  The committee shall hold a bidders' 
conference within 7 days following issuance of the applications, after which an applicant 
has 18 days to complete the application.  The committee shall award grants before March 
1, 2022.
4. Distribution of balance of bond.  The committee shall establish an application 
process for the $4,000,000 in health center, clinic and hospital grants. A recipient of a grant 
under this subsection must:
A. Be from an underserved community that has a demonstrated need for health care;
B. Be a qualified health care provider, which includes but is not limited to: federally 
qualified health centers, hospitals, veterans’ health care facilities, health care facilities 
established by the United States Department of Defense serving active duty military 
personnel, state-based nonprofit health care centers and municipally supported health 
clinics; 
C. Be established as a health care clinical training site affiliated with the University of 
New England; and
D. Demonstrate a need for telehealth or other infrastructure to assist in remote learning 
and health care delivery.
5. Completion date.  The awarding of grants under this Part must be completed by 
December 1, 2023, and following disbursement of these grants the committee terminates.
PART E
Sec. E-1.  Contingent effective date.  Parts B to D take effect only if the bond issue 
under Part A is approved by the voters of the State.
SUMMARY
The funds provided by this bond issue, in the amount of $11,000,000, will be used to 
provide funding on the following basis:  $7,000,000 to be used for the University of New 
England Institute for Interprofessional Education and Practice to improve and expand 
collaborative team-based education of health care workers, including training in the use of 
telehealth and other technologies, and to increase access to high-quality health care; and 
$4,000,000 to be used to upgrade the capacity of federally qualified health centers and other 
community-based health care clinics and hospitals throughout the State in order to facilitate 
educational and clinical links with the University of New England Institute for 
Interprofessional Education and Practice and to enhance and expand their capacity to 
provide access to high-quality health care.