An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Commission Regarding Foreign-trained Physicians Living in Maine to Support International Medical Graduates in Securing Employment
Maine Legislature, Session 131, LD 2267
Committee: Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services

Legislative Document
No. 2267
H.P. 1457
House of Representatives, March 14, 2024
An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Commission 
Regarding Foreign-trained Physicians Living in Maine to Support 
International Medical Graduates in Securing Employment
Reported by Representative PERRY of Calais for the Joint Standing Committee on Health 
Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services pursuant to Resolve 2023, chapter 93, section 8.
Reference to the Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services 
suggested and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 218.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  26 MRSA c. 30 is enacted to read:
CHAPTER 30
ASSISTANCE TO INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GRADUATES IN SECURING 
EMPLOYMENT
§2141. Definitions
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms 
have the following meanings.
1. Department. "Department" means the Department of Labor.
2. International medical graduate. "International medical graduate" means an 
individual who has received a degree of doctor of medicine or its equivalent from a legally 
chartered medical school outside the United States recognized by the World Health 
Organization and who has lived in this State for at least 12 months.
3. Medical licensing exam.  "Medical licensing exam" means the United States 
Medical Licensing Exam or its successor examination.
4. Sponsoring institution. "Sponsoring institution" means any of the 4 hospitals in the 
State accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education on January 
1, 2024.
§2142.  International medical graduates assistance program
The department shall contract with a 3rd-party entity to provide an assistance program, 
referred to in this section as "the program," to international medical graduates wishing to 
reestablish their medical careers in this State.
1. Program requirements. The program must be designed to:
A. Review the background, education, training and experience of program participants 
in order to recommend appropriate steps to enable program participants to integrate 
into the State's health care workforce as physicians or to pursue alternative health care 
careers;
B. Provide technical support and guidance to program participants through the 
credential evaluation process, including preparation for the medical licensing exam and 
other applicable tests or evaluations;
C. Provide scholarships or access to scholarships or funds for certain program 
participants to help cover or offset the cost of the medical licensure process, including 
the costs of the credential evaluation process, preparing for the medical licensing exam 
and other applicable tests or evaluations, the medical residency application process and 
other costs associated with returning to a career in health care;
D. In partnership with community organizations working with international medical 
graduates and on a voluntary basis, develop:
(1) A roster of international medical graduates interested in entering the State's 
health care workforce as physicians for the purpose of program planning and 
administration, including developing summary reports that include the aggregate 
number and distribution, by geographic location and specialty, of international 
medical graduates in the State; and
(2) A roster of international medical graduates seeking alternative health care 
careers for the purpose of supporting those international medical graduates in their 
integration into nonphysician health care roles; and
E. Provide guidance to international medical graduates in applying for medical 
residency programs or other pathways to licensure.
2. Eligibility; limitations. The department shall determine, with input from 
stakeholders and after considering relevant research on the needs of the workforce and of 
international medical graduates in this State, eligibility criteria for participation in the 
program, any limits on the amount of direct services provided to an individual program 
participant and any caps on funding available under the program.
§2143.  International medical graduates clinical readiness program
1. Clinical readiness program; contract. The department shall contract with an 
accredited medical school in this State or a sponsoring institution to develop, implement 
and administer a clinical readiness program to assist international medical graduates in 
building the skills necessary to become successful medical residents in the United States 
medical system.
2. Minimum requirements. At a minimum, the clinical readiness program under 
subsection 1 must include at least the following elements:
A. A mechanism for processing and assessing program applications;
B. A program curriculum that provides inpatient and outpatient training opportunities 
combined with community and classroom-based components to prepare program 
participants to match into and succeed in a United States medical residency program; 
and
C. A system to assess the clinical readiness of program participants to serve in a United 
States medical residency program and to grant program participants a credential of 
clinical readiness upon successful completion of the program.
§2144. Funding
The International Medical Graduate Assistance Enterprise Fund is created within the 
department as an enterprise fund for the deposit of any funds advanced for initial operating 
expenses and any funds received from any public or private source to support the programs 
established under this chapter.  The fund may not lapse but must be carried forward to carry 
out the purposes of this chapter.
Sec. 2. Finance Authority of Maine pilot program for loan assistance to 
international medical graduates. For the purpose of providing financial assistance for 
an international medical graduate to attend an approved education program in this State in 
order to join the State's health care workforce, the Finance Authority of Maine shall, on a 
pilot basis until December 31, 2027, provide a loan program for international medical 
graduates residing in this State who are unable to qualify for any existing federal or state 
education loan programs. The authority shall determine the financial and other eligibility 
requirements for an international medical graduate to qualify for financial assistance under 
the program and shall develop an alternative to the federal Free Application for Federal 
Student Aid form for use by an international medical graduate to apply for financial 
assistance under the program to attend one of the State's public or private postsecondary 
educational institutions. For the purposes of this section, "international medical graduate" 
has the same meaning as in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 26, section 2141, subsection 
2.
Sec. 3. Educational programs for alternative health care careers for 
international medical graduates.  The Office of Policy Innovation and the Future 
shall, to the extent funding is available and until December 31, 2027, coordinate with 
appropriate educational institutions to develop programs for international medical 
graduates residing in this State to gain entry into and complete educational programs in 
alternative health care careers, such as physician assistant, nurse or nurse practitioner 
programs, to ensure that the State is effectively incorporating immigrants into the State's 
health care workforce and communities and to strengthen the State's economy. For the 
purposes of this section, "international medical graduate" has the same meaning as in the 
Maine Revised Statutes, Title 26, section 2141, subsection 2.
SUMMARY
This bill implements certain recommendations of the Commission Regarding Foreign-
trained Physicians Living in Maine and is being reported out by the Joint Standing 
Committee on Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services pursuant to Resolve 
2023, chapter 93, section 8. The committee is reporting out the bill for the sole purpose of 
having a bill printed that can be referred to the committee for an appropriate public hearing 
and subsequent processing in the normal course and has not taken a substantive position on 
the bill.  The committee is taking this action to ensure clarity and transparency in the 
legislative review of the proposals contained in the bill.
The bill does the following. 
1. It directs the Department of Labor to contract with a 3rd-party entity to provide an 
assistance program and a clinical readiness program for international medical graduates. 
2. It directs the Finance Authority of Maine to provide a loan program on a pilot basis 
for the purpose of providing financial assistance to attend an approved education program 
in this State in order to join the State's health care workforce, to international medical 
graduates residing in this State who are unable to qualify for any existing federal or state 
education loan programs.
3. It directs the Office of Policy Innovation and the Future to coordinate with 
appropriate educational institutions to develop programs for international medical 
graduates residing in this State to gain entry into and complete educational programs in 
alternative health care careers, such as physician assistant, nurse or nurse practitioner 
programs, to ensure that the State is effectively incorporating immigrants into the State's 
health care workforce and communities and to strengthen the State's economy.