An Act to Amend the Laws Governing the Foreign Credentialing and Skills Recognition Revolving Loan Program
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1169
Committee: Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business
Sponsors: CLOUTIER, ROTUNDO, ABDI, BRENNAN, DHALAC, LAJOIE, ROBERTS, ZAGER, DAUGHTRY
Amends: 10 MRSA §1100-A

Legislative Document
No. 1169
H.P. 741
House of Representatives, March 14, 2023
An Act to Amend the Laws Governing the Foreign Credentialing 
and Skills Recognition Revolving Loan Program
Reference to the Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and 
Business suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative CLOUTIER of Lewiston.
Cosponsored by Senator ROTUNDO of Androscoggin and
Representatives: ABDI of Lewiston, BRENNAN of Portland, DHALAC of South Portland, 
LAJOIE of Lewiston, LaROCHELLE of Augusta, ROBERTS of South Berwick, ZAGER of 
Portland, Senator: DAUGHTRY of Cumberland.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  10 MRSA c. 110, sub-c. 13, headnote is amended to read:
SUBCHAPTER 13
FOREIGN CREDENTIALING AND SKILLS RECOGNITION REVOLVING 
LOAN GRANT PROGRAM
Sec. 2.  10 MRSA §1100-AA, as amended by PL 2021, c. 133, §§1 to 6, is further 
amended by amending the section headnote to read:
§1100-AA.  Foreign Credentialing and Skills Recognition Revolving Loan Grant 
Program
Sec. 3.  10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§1, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is 
amended to read:
B.  "Fund" means the Foreign Credentialing and Skills Recognition Revolving Loan 
Grant Program Fund, established in subsection 3.
Sec. 4.  10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§1, ¶D, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is 
amended to read:
D.  "Program" means the Foreign Credentialing and Skills Recognition Revolving 
Loan Grant Program, established in subsection 2.
Sec. 5.  10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is 
amended to read:
2.  Program established.  The Foreign Credentialing and Skills Recognition 
Revolving Loan Grant Program is established to provide financial assistance to immigrants 
who need assistance in paying for eligible costs.
Sec. 6.  10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is 
amended to read:
3.  Fund established.  The Foreign Credentialing and Skills Recognition Revolving 
Loan Grant Program Fund is established as a nonlapsing revolving fund to be administered 
by the authority.  All amounts appropriated to the program must be deposited into the fund 
as well as all amounts repaid to the program by persons receiving loans under the program.  
Amounts in the fund must be used by the authority for purposes authorized in this section.
Sec. 7.  10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is 
amended to read:
5.  Disbursement from the fund.  Upon approval of an immigrant, the authority shall 
determine the amount to be disbursed from the fund to the immigrant.  Funds must be 
disbursed directly to and used by the immigrant pursuant to a contract entered into between 
the immigrant and the authority in accordance with subsection 7.  Funds must be disbursed 
by the authority in one lump sum in the form of an interest-free loan a grant.  An immigrant 
may not receive more than the maximum amount established by the authority, regardless 
of whether the immigrant submits one or multiple applications to the fund.
Sec. 8.  10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is 
amended to read:
6.  Treatment of loans grants.  Amounts loaned disbursed to an individual under the 
program are not income for purposes of any municipal general assistance program as 
defined by Title 22, section 4301, subsection 7.
Sec. 9.  10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§7, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is 
repealed.
Sec. 10.  10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§7, ¶D, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is 
amended to read:
D.  A provision that, if the individual breaches the contract with the authority, the 
authority may require immediate repayment of the loan grant to the authority; and
Sec. 11.  10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§9, as corrected by RR 2019, c. 2, Pt. A, §§13 
and 14, is amended to read:
9.  Financing terms Terms and conditions.  Loans Grants under the program must 
conform to the following requirements.
A.  A loan grant to any individual for eligible costs may not exceed $700 $1,000, but 
this limit may be adjusted upward at least biannually by the authority to reflect inflation 
or cost of living or other necessary adjustments.
B.  Loans are not subject to interest.
C.  Loans must be repaid in full by an individual within 18 months of disbursement by 
the authority, together with any reasonable administrative fee established by the 
authority not to exceed 5% of the total of the loan funds disbursed to the individual, 
except that:
(1)  In any case of demonstrable hardship, the authority may allow extensions of 
time for repayment or other flexibility in repayment terms; and
(2)  Repayment of a loan may not be required until at least 60 days after the 
recipient of the loan has obtained a work permit, except that, if the recipient of the 
loan has obtained a work permit but has not obtained employment, repayment may 
not be required until at least 30 days after the recipient has obtained employment 
as long as the recipient is in compliance with the provisions of Title 22, section 
4316‑A.
SUMMARY
This bill changes the Foreign Credentialing and Skills Recognition Revolving Loan 
Program to a grant program and increases the maximum allowable distribution of funds per 
applicant from $700 to $1,000.