An Act to Amend the Social Work Education Loan Repayment Program
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 0632
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: CRAFTS, ARFORD, DODGE, GRAMLICH, PERRY, ZAGER, RENY
Amends: 10 MRSA §1038

Legislative Document
No. 632
H.P. 409
House of Representatives, February 14, 2023
An Act to Amend the Social Work Education Loan Repayment 
Program
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative CRAFTS of Newcastle.
Cosponsored by Representatives: ARFORD of Brunswick, DODGE of Belfast, GRAMLICH 
of Old Orchard Beach, PERRY of Calais, ZAGER of Portland, Senator: RENY of Lincoln.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  10 MRSA §1038, sub-§3, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 427, §1, is 
amended to read:
B.  Have completed a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in social work from an 
accredited school of social work within 3 years prior to the date the applicant's 
application is received by the authority;
Sec. 2.  10 MRSA §1038, sub-§3, ¶D, as corrected by RR 2009, c. 1, §11, is 
amended to read:
D.  Practice in an underserved practice area, including but not limited to the practice of 
social work:
(1)  In a public or private child welfare or family service agency;
(2)  In a public interest law service;
(3)  In a public child care facility;
(4)  In a public service for individuals with disabilities;
(5)  In a public service for the elderly;
(6)  In a public service for veterans; or
(7)  At an organization exempt from taxation under the United States Internal 
Revenue Code, Section 501(c)(3).;
(8)  In the criminal justice or correctional system; or
(9)  In private practice and at least 15% of professional time is spent providing 
services to clients covered by Medicare or the MaineCare program.
Priority consideration must be given to social workers practicing in a public or private 
child welfare or family service agency, in a public service for the elderly or in a public 
service for individuals with disabilities;
The authority shall establish a system of priority for participation in the program. The 
authority shall solicit input from stakeholders, including social work faculty and 
students and the leadership of groups representing the interests of social workers, in 
the development of the system of priority and in changes to the application process;
Sec. 3.  10 MRSA §1038, sub-§3, ¶E, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 427, §1, is 
amended to read:
E.  Submit an application to the authority, which must include but is not limited to 
information concerning academic performance, awards and special honors and 
community involvement; and
Sec. 4.  10 MRSA §1038, sub-§3, ¶F, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 427, §1, is 
amended to read:
F.  Have signed a statement of intent in a form acceptable to the authority to work as a 
social worker in the State serving residents of this State for a minimum of 3 years after 
acceptance into the program.
Sec. 5.  10 MRSA §1038, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 427, §1, is amended to 
read:
5.  Administration.  The program and the fund are administered by the authority.  The 
authority shall repay the loans of up to 3 100 applicants each year who meet the criteria in 
subsection 3 in the amount of up to $5,000 $20,000 for each applicant.  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.
SUMMARY
This bill eliminates the requirement that participants in the Social Work Education 
Loan Repayment Program have completed a social work degree within 3 years of the date 
of application for the program. The bill adds to the list of practice areas available for 
participation in the program. The bill replaces the current priority consideration in the 
program with one developed by the Finance Authority of Maine with stakeholder input and 
also requires stakeholder input on changes to the application process. The bill requires a 
participant to serve residents of this State, increases the number of loans repaid each year 
and increases the amount of repayment for each participant.