An Act To Increase Maine's Veterinary Workforce
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 1885
Committee Amendment CA_A_H963 (House)
Amends: 20-A MRSA §12125

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "fl" to H.P. 1395, L.D. 1885, "An Act To Increase 
Maine's Veterinary Workforce" 
Amend the bill in section 3 in subsection 1 in the 5th line (page 1, line 19 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "10" and inserting the following: '.H_' 
Amend the bill in section 3 in subsection 1 in the 5th line (page 1, line 19 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "40" and inserting the following: '32. At least half, and no fewer 
than 2, of the annual loans awarded must be awarded to applicants who have demonstrated 
a likelihood to practice livestock veterinary medicine in the State unless the authority does 
not receive enough qualified applicants to meet this requirement, in which case the chief 
executive officer may award the remaining loans to other eligible applicants' 
Amend the bill in section 5 in subsection 4 in the last line (page 1, line 28 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "$50,000" and inserting the following: '$35,000' 
Amend the bill in section 8 in paragraph C in the first line (page 2, line 8 in L.D.) by 
striking out the following: "or an interest rate benefit" and inserting the following: 'eF-aH: 
interest rate benefit' 
Amend the bill in section 8 in paragraph C in the last line (page 2, line 11 in L.D.) by 
inserting after the following: "care" the following: ', the location of the veterinarian's 
practice' 
Amend the bill in section 11 in §12124 in the first indented paragraph in the 6th line 
(page 2, line 40 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "care." the following: 'In 
establishing criteria for determining areas of insufficient veterinary services for emergency 
and critical care and criteria for determining underserved geographic regions, the• 
commissioner shall give priority consideration to regions within Aroostook County, Oxford 1 
County, Penobscot County, Piscataquis County, Somerset County and Washington 
County.' 
Amend the bill by inserting after section 11 the following: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~os 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "ff° to H.P. 1395, L.D. 1885 
'Sec. 12. 20-A MRSA §12125 is enacted to read: 
§12125. Report by the Finance Authority of Maine 
1. Report. The authority shall include in its annual report under Title 10, section 974, 
subsection 1 the following information regarding the program: 
A. The number of applications received each year; , 
B. The number ofloans awarded each year; 
C. The total amount disbursed through the program; 
D. The total amount ofloan forgiveness awarded through the program; 
E. The total number of veterinary students assisted by loans through the program; 
F. The total number of veterinarians awarded loan forgiveness through the program; 
G. The number of current program participants working in a veterinary specialty 
related to livestock; 
H. The number of current program participants working in a veterinary specialty 
related to emergency and critical care; 
I. The number of current program participants working in an underserved geographic 
region: and 
J. The location of each current program participant's veterinary practice. 
Sec. 13. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
FINANCE AUTHORITY OF MAINE 
Student Financial Assistance Programs 0653 
Initiative: Provides additional ongoing funding for the Maine Veterinary Medicine Loan 
Program to increase the number of loans awarded annually from 2 to 8, up to an aggregate 
of 32 and to increase the maximum loan amount available under the program to each 
participant from $25,000 to $35,000 per year for a period of 4 years. 
GENERAL FUND 
2021-22 
All Other 
$0 
GENERAL FUND TOTAL 
$0 
2022-23 
$920,000 
$920,000 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section 
number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment does the following: 
1. It requires the Commissioner of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to give 
priority consideration to regions within Aroostook County, Oxford County, Penobscot 
County, Piscataquis County, Somerset County and Washington County when determining 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
~as 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "ff'to H.P. 1395, L.D. 1885 
regions of the State identified as having insufficient veterinary services related to 
emergency and critical care and when determining regions of the State that are underserved; 
2. It reduces the maximum number of loans awarded annually from 10, as in the bill,', 
to 8 and requires that at least half, but no fewer than 2, of those awards go to applicants 
who have demonstrated a likelihood to practice livestock veterinary medicine. Should there 
not be enough applicants who demonstrate a likelihood to practice livestock veterinary 
medicine, the Chief Executive Officer of the Finance Authority of Maine may award the 
remaining loans to other eligible applicants; 
3. It reduces the maximum annual loan amount from $50,000 in the bill to $35,000. 
Current law provides an annual loan amount of $25,000; 
4. It requires veterinarians requesting loan forgiveness under the Maine Veterinary 
Medicine Loan Program to report annually on the location of their practice; 
5. It requires the Finance Authority of Maine to include details related to the program 
in its annual report to the Governor and the Legislature under the Maine Revised Statutes, 
Title 10, section 974, subsection 1; and 
6. It appropriates an additional $920,000 annually in order to increase the number and 
amount of loans awarded each year to the new statutory limits. 
The amendment also adds an appropriations and allocations section. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 04/07 /22 ;$Pae 
LD 1885 
LR2453(02) 
An Act To Increase Maine's Veterinary Workforce 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment /f, {fl-q (: 3) 
Committee: Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2021-22 
FY 2022-23 
Projections 
FY2023-24 
Projections 
FY 2024-25 
Net Cost (Savings) 
General Fund 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
General Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
$0 
$0 
$920,000 
$920,000 
$920,000 
$920,000 
$920,000 
$920,000 
Current law requires the Finance Authority of Maine (FAME) to award 2 new loans per year up to an aggregate of 8 
loans to students eligible for the Maine Veterinary Medicine Loan Program at a maximum amount of $25,000 each 
per year. FAME allocates $200,000 each year from the annual General Fund appropriations it receives for the Student 
Financial Assistance program for these loans. This bill increases the number of loans that may be awarded each year 
from 2 to 8 and the number of aggregate loans that may be outstanding at any one time from 8 to 32. It also increases 
the maximum loan amount per year from $25,000 to $35,000. The total cost to fund 8 loans per year at $35,000 per 
loan for a 4-year period is $1,120,000. This bill includes ongoing General Fund appropriations of $920,000 per year 
beginning in fiscal year 2022-23 to the Student Financial Assistance program to fund the additional 6 loans at the 
higher maximum amount. It should be noted that the additional annual appropriations represent funding to FAME of 
the full 4-year commitment to each loan and not the amount needed for each loan for just a single year. 
LR2453(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1