An Act to Expand Maine's Health Care Workforce by Expanding Educational Opportunities and Providing Tax Credits
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 1797
Committee: Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business
Sponsors: JACKSON, TALBOT ROSS, CURRY, DUSON, MOORE, STEWART, GATTINE, MEYER, MILLETT, ROBERTS
Amends: 10 MRSA §1019, 36 MRSA §5219-A

Legislative Document
No. 1797
S.P. 722
In Senate, April 25, 2023
An Act to Expand Maine's Health Care Workforce by Expanding 
Educational Opportunities and Providing Tax Credits
Reference to the Committee on Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and 
Business suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by President JACKSON of Aroostook.
Cosponsored by Speaker TALBOT ROSS of Portland and
Senators: CURRY of Waldo, DUSON of Cumberland, MOORE of Washington, STEWART of 
Aroostook, Representatives: GATTINE of Westbrook, MEYER of Eliot, MILLETT of 
Waterford, ROBERTS of South Berwick.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  10 MRSA §1019, sub-§2, ¶D, as amended by PL 2021, c. 635, Pt. CC, §1, 
is further amended to read:
D.  Sign a statement of intent in a form acceptable to the authority to work as full-time 
or part-time nursing faculty in a nursing education program in the State for a minimum 
of 3 years after acceptance into the nursing education loan repayment program.
Sec. 2.  10 MRSA §1019, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2021, c. 635, Pt. CC, §2, is 
further amended to read:
4.  Administration.  The nursing education loan repayment program and the nursing 
education loan repayment fund are administered by the authority.  The authority shall repay 
the loan of an applicant who meets the criteria in subsection 2 in the amount of up to 
$20,000 for a master's degree and up to $40,000 for a doctoral degree for full-time nursing 
faculty and in the amount of up to $10,000 for a master’s degree and up to $20,000 for a 
doctoral degree for part-time nursing faculty.  The authority may adopt rules to carry out 
the purposes of this subchapter.  Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine 
technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2‑A.
Sec. 3.  22 MRSA c. 279 is enacted to read:
CHAPTER 279
MAINE HEALTH CARE EDUCATION TRAINING AND MEDICAL 
RESIDENCY FUND
§1700-H. Maine Health Care Education Training and Medical Residency Fund
1. Fund established.  The Maine Health Care Education Training and Medical 
Residency Fund, referred to in this chapter as "the fund," is established within the 
department as a dedicated, nonlapsing account to support rural health care and physician 
workforce development.  The fund is authorized to receive revenue from public and private 
sources.
2. Fund sources and administration.  The fund consists of amounts appropriated or 
allocated by the State.  The department may apply for federal and private grant funding to 
cover the costs of the program under this section. Money received by the department on 
behalf of the fund must be used for the purposes of this chapter.  The fund must be 
maintained and administered by the department.  Any unexpended balance in the fund 
carries forward for continued use under this chapter, except for federal funds that must be 
expended according to guidelines issued by the Federal Government governing the use of 
those funds.
3. Use of fund.  The department shall make distributions from the fund to programs 
based in the State to support the following purposes:
A. Expanding rural primary care clinical rotations for 3rd-year medical students to 
support long-term professional practice in the rural parts of the State;
B. Expanding rural primary care clinical rotations for 4th-year medical students to 
support long-term professional practice in the rural parts of the State;
C. Expanding rural primary care clinical residency placements in the State; 
D. Supporting statewide rural health care learning platforms to support education and 
teaching of interprofessional health care students, faculty and preceptors; 
E. Supporting programs that seek to develop local health care education leaders;
F. Expanding rural clinical preceptorships, including the cost of preceptor recruiting 
and training and compensation for preceptor time; and 
G. Supporting electronic platforms used to make clinical placements in rural areas. 
4. Rules.  The department may adopt rules to implement this section.  Rules adopted 
pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 4.  36 MRSA §5219-AAA is enacted to read:
§5219-AAA.  New nurse retention credit
1.  Definition.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, "eligible 
nurse" means a person licensed under Title 32, chapter 31 who, on or after January 1, 2023:
A.  Practices nursing in the State in a health care facility that is licensed under Title 22, 
chapter 405; and
B.  Has not practiced nursing in this State or in any other jurisdiction prior to January 
1, 2023.  
2.  Credit.  For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, an eligible nurse 
certified under subsection 3 is allowed a credit against the taxes imposed under this Part as 
follows:
A. The credit may be claimed in the first year that the eligible nurse meets the 
conditions of eligibility for at least 6 months and each of the subsequent 2 years;
B. The credit may be claimed in an amount equal to $500 in the first year, $500 in the 
2nd year and $500 in the 3rd year; and
C. The credit may not reduce the tax due under this Part to less than zero.
3.  Eligibility limitation; certification.  The State Board of Nursing shall certify 
eligible nurses and may certify no more than 1,000 eligible nurses each year.  The board 
shall monitor recipients to ensure that they continue to be eligible for the credit under this 
section and shall decertify any recipient who ceases to meet the conditions of eligibility.  
The board shall notify the bureau whenever a nurse is certified or decertified.  A decertified 
recipient ceases to be eligible for the credit under this section beginning with the tax year 
during which the recipient is decertified.
4.  Rules.  The State Board of Nursing may adopt rules to implement this section.  
Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 5.  Appropriations and allocations.  The following appropriations and 
allocations are made.
FINANCE AUTHORITY OF MAINE
Doctors for Maine's Future Scholarship Fund Z090
Initiative: Provides ongoing funding to the Doctors for Maine's Future Scholarship Fund 
within the Finance Authority of Maine.
GENERAL FUND
2023-24
2024-25
All Other
$1,000,000
$1,000,000
__________
__________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL
$1,000,000
$1,000,000
Maine Health Care Provider Loan Repayment Program Fund  Z330
Initiative: Provides ongoing funding to the Maine Health Care Provider Loan Repayment 
Program Fund within the Finance Authority of Maine.
GENERAL FUND
2023-24
2024-25
All Other
$4,000,000
$4,000,000
__________
__________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL
$4,000,000
$4,000,000
Nursing Education Loan Repayment Program Z331
Initiative: Provides ongoing funding for the nursing education loan repayment program 
within the Finance Authority of Maine for loan repayments for eligible nurses that meet 
the established criteria.
GENERAL FUND
2023-24
2024-25
All Other
$1,000,000
$1,000,000
__________
__________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL
$1,000,000
$1,000,000
FINANCE AUTHORITY OF MAINE
DEPARTMENT TOTALS
2023-24
2024-25
GENERAL FUND
$6,000,000
$6,000,000
__________
__________
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS
$6,000,000
$6,000,000
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF
Department of Health and Human Services Central Operations 0142
Initiative: Provides ongoing funding to increase the critical health care workforce by 
providing incentives to providers to serve as preceptors and clinical sites for health care 
students who require clinical hours and related oversight.
GENERAL FUND
2023-24
2024-25
All Other
$300,000
$300,000
__________
__________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL
$300,000
$300,000
Maine Health Care Education Training and Medical Residency Fund  N433
Initiative: Provides ongoing funding to the Maine Health Care Education Training and 
Medical Residency Fund.
GENERAL FUND
2023-24
2024-25
All Other
$4,885,000
$4,885,000
__________
__________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL
$4,885,000
$4,885,000
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, 
DEPARTMENT OF
DEPARTMENT TOTALS
2023-24
2024-25
GENERAL FUND
$5,185,000
$5,185,000
__________
__________
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS
$5,185,000
$5,185,000
SECTION TOTALS
2023-24
2024-25
GENERAL FUND
$11,185,000
$11,185,000
__________
__________
SECTION TOTAL - ALL FUNDS
$11,185,000
$11,185,000
SUMMARY
This bill does the following.
1.  It makes part-time faculty eligible for the nursing education loan repayment 
program, with loans of up to $10,000 for a master's degree and up to $20,000 for a doctoral 
degree.
2.  It provides for $1,000,000 in ongoing annual appropriations to the nursing education 
loan repayment program.
3.  It establishes the Maine Health Care Education Training and Medical Residency 
Fund and appropriates $4,885,000 annually to the fund to establish clinical training 
opportunities for 3rd-year and 4th-year medical students in the rural parts of the State.
4.  It provides for $4,000,000 in ongoing annual appropriations to the Maine Health 
Care Provider Loan Repayment Program Fund.
5.  It provides for $1,000,000 in ongoing annual appropriations to the Doctors for 
Maine's Future Scholarship Program.
6.  It establishes a new income tax credit of up to $500 a year for new nurses, for 3 
years per eligible nurse, for employment in a licensed health care facility in the State.  It 
directs the State Board of Nursing to certify eligible nurses for the tax credit.  It limits the 
tax credit to 1,000 nurses per year.
7.  It provides for $300,000 in ongoing annual appropriations to support incentives for 
clinical preceptorships.