An Act To Establish the Maine Service Fellows Program
Maine Legislature, Session 130, LD 1010
Committee: State and Local Government
Sponsors: RIELLY, BALDACCI, CARLOW, CLOUTIER, FECTEAU, MATLACK, RISEMAN, WARREN, MOORE
Amends: 5 MRSA §7503, 5 MRSA §7506

Legislative Document
No. 1010
H.P. 748
House of Representatives, March 10, 2021
An Act To Establish the Maine Service Fellows Program
Reference to the Committee on State and Local Government suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative RIELLY of Westbrook.
Cosponsored by Senator BALDACCI of Penobscot and
Representatives: CARLOW of Buxton, CLOUTIER of Lewiston, Speaker FECTEAU of 
Biddeford, MATLACK of St. George, RISEMAN of Harrison, WARREN of Scarborough, 
Senator: MOORE of Washington.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §7503, sub-§13, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 54, §1, is amended to 
read:
13.  Fund raising.  Carry out fund-raising efforts to supplement federal funding and to 
meet all federal matching requirements; and
Sec. 2.  5 MRSA §7503, sub-§13-A is enacted to read:
13-A.  Maine Service Fellows Program.  Develop and administer the Maine Service 
Fellows Program under section 7506; and
Sec. 3.  5 MRSA §7506 is enacted to read:
§7506.  Maine Service Fellows Program
The Maine Service Fellows Program, referred to in this section as "the program," is 
established within the commission.  Individuals who participate in the program are referred 
to in this section as "program fellows."  The commission shall administer the program in 
accordance with this section.
1.  Program purposes.  The commission shall establish the program to:
A.  Increase the opportunities for citizens to devote a year of service to communities in 
the State;
B.  Attract to and retain in the State motivated adults who have completed a college 
degree within the prior 5 years to serve in positions where they can apply skills and 
abilities to projects for the benefit of citizens of the State;
C.  Provide rural and underserved communities in the State a resource to address critical 
health and human, public safety, education and environmental needs; and
D.  Strengthen civic engagement of both the program fellows and community residents 
through solutions based in whole or in part in volunteer service.
2.  Program design.  The program must be designed to coordinate with appropriate 
organizations in the served communities.  Program fellows must be required to commit up 
to 20% of their time in the program to developing regional networks of volunteer programs 
whose common goals can result in mutual benefits.  An entity may submit a proposal to 
sponsor a program fellow based on guidelines established under this subsection.  Services 
provided by a program fellow may include but are not limited to services to address home 
evictions, to support workforce development, to mitigate and prevent substance use 
disorder and to promote mental health. The commission may identify other priority needs 
of communities to be addressed by the program and may make those services available to 
eligible communities.   During the first 3 years of operation of the program, the commission 
shall ensure that program fellows focus on helping communities recover from the effects 
of coronavirus disease 2019, also known as COVID-19, and the related pandemic, while 
also addressing long-term issues that communities face.  The commission shall establish 
guidelines for the program that include but are not limited to:
A.  Limiting the eligibility of entities that may sponsor program fellows to local or 
county government, school districts, nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations 
and similar entities;
B.  Establishing standards for local sponsors regarding supervision and support of 
program fellows during their service;
C.  Ensuring that projects and project proposals are well-designed and measure their 
impact and do not include partisan or political activity;
D.  Ensuring that program fellows are not used to replace positions eliminated or 
position hours reduced as a result of budget cuts by the sponsor;
E.  Requiring criminal background checks or other safeguards if projects involve 
working with vulnerable populations such as school children;
F.  Authorizing private sector and local partner contributions to program operations for 
travel reimbursements or training costs; and
G.  Any other guideline that the commission believes will benefit the program.
3.  Compensation.  To the extent funds are available, the commission shall ensure that 
program fellows receive the following compensation for service:
A.  A stipend set by the commission to achieve an annual income of up to 212% of the 
nonfarm income official federal poverty level.  To the extent the stipend is paid from 
the General Fund or any other account of the commission, personal liability insurance 
and workers' compensation insurance, paid for from the same source of funds, must 
also be provided.  Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, program fellows are not 
employees of the State for the purposes of Title 5, Part 20;
B.  A program completion bonus that includes:
(1)  Eligibility for the applicable in-state tuition rate for a program of study within 
the University of Maine System, if the program fellow, within one year of 
completion of service in the program, enrolls in such a program and is not 
otherwise eligible for in-state tuition; and
(2)  To the extent established by the commission by rule, an educational loan 
payment in an amount up to 20% of the stipend value paid on behalf of the program 
fellow to the holder of the loan; and
C.  An allowance to pay for individual health insurance not to exceed 2% of the stipend 
amount.
4. Funding.  The commission may seek and receive both private and federal funds, 
grants and gifts in support of the program.  The commission may accept funding from other 
state agencies to support program fellows whose work will support and promote goals of 
programs administered by those agencies.
5. Rules. The commission may adopt rules necessary to carry out the purposes of this 
section.  Rules adopted under this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 
5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 4.  Program launch.  Within 180 days following the effective date of this Act, 
to the extent of any available funds, the Maine Commission for Community Service shall 
seek to establish in 2022 the first class of program fellows in the Maine Service Fellows 
Program under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 7506, consisting of 10 program 
fellows who agree to participate in the program for up to 1,800 hours over a 12-month 
period beginning in 2022.
Sec. 5.  Report.  The commission shall report to the joint standing committee of the 
Legislature having jurisdiction over state and local government matters regarding the 
operations of the Maine Service Fellows Program established in the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 5, section 7506 and its work no later than January 30, 2024.  The report may 
include any recommendations for legislation to improve the program.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Maine Service Fellows Program under the Maine Commission 
for Community Service.  The program is designed to engage program participants, referred 
to as "program fellows," in devoting a year of service to Maine communities.  The 
commission is directed to seek to design and implement the program in a manner that will 
increase the opportunities for citizens to devote a year of service to Maine communities; 
attract to and retain in Maine motivated adults who have completed a college degree within 
the prior 5 years to apply their skills and abilities to projects for the benefit of Maine 
citizens; provide rural and underserved Maine communities a resource to address critical 
health and human, public safety, education and environmental needs; and strengthen civic 
engagement of both the program fellows and community residents through solutions based 
in whole or in part in volunteer service.  To the extent funds are available, program fellows 
receive a stipend, a completion bonus and other benefits.