An Act to Strengthen the So-called Maine Hire-a-Vet Program
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1839
Committee: Labor
Sponsors: HICKMAN, HYMES
Amends: 5 MRSA §12004-G, 26 MRSA §1407

Legislative Document
No. 1839
S.P. 722
In Senate, April 30, 2025
An Act to Strengthen the So-called Maine Hire-a-Vet Program
Reference to the Committee on Labor suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator HICKMAN of Kennebec.
Cosponsored by Representative HYMES of Waldo and
Senators: FARRIN of Somerset, RAFFERTY of York, RENY of Lincoln, TIPPING of 
Penobscot, Representatives: CHAPMAN of Auburn, FREDETTE of Newport, ROEDER of 
Bangor, THORNE of Carmel.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §12004-G, sub-§24-A is enacted to read:
24-A.  
Labor 
Fundraising and Advisory 
Commission to Support the 
Hiring of Veterans 
Not Authorized 
MRSA §1407 
Sec. 2.  26 MRSA §1407 is enacted to read:
§1407.  Promotion of hiring of veterans
1.  Definition.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, "veteran" 
has the same meaning as in section 877, subsection 3.
2.  Advisory commission established.  The Fundraising and Advisory Commission to 
Support the Hiring of Veterans, established in Title 5, section 12004-G, subsection 24-A 
and referred to in this section as "the advisory commission," is established to support a 
program, referred to in this section as "the program," to help veterans and members of their 
families find jobs, promote the hiring of veterans and members of their families by 
employers in this State and provide information to veterans and members of their families 
regarding the services to which they are entitled.
A.  The advisory commission consists of the following members:
(1)  The director of the program as a nonvoting member;
(2)  An employee of the department, appointed by the commissioner;
(3)  A representative of the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency 
Management, Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services, appointed by the Director of 
the Maine Bureau of Veterans' Services;
(4)  A representative of the Department of Corrections, appointed by the 
Commissioner of Corrections;
(5)  Two representatives of nonprofit veterans service groups, appointed by the 
commissioner;
(6)  Two representatives of private industry human resources personnel, appointed 
by the commissioner;
(7)  Two representatives of private workforce marketing agencies, appointed by 
the commissioner; and
(8)  Two public members, one appointed by the President of the Senate and one 
appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
B.  The advisory commission has the following duties:
(1)  To establish a fundraising plan and raise money for the program;
(2)  To solicit proposals for the marketing of the program.  Proposals must be 
included in the State's preferred vendor solicitation program whenever possible.  
Members of the advisory commission are allowed to bid, but must recuse 
themselves from discussions regarding decisions on that bid and votes on that bid; 
and
(3)  To oversee a separate web page to support the marketing efforts of the program 
and a publicly accessible website managed by the department to provide 
information about career fairs for veterans and members of their families and 
veterans services provided by the department and to publicize donors to the fund 
established in subsection 3.
3.  Fund established.  The Fund to Support the Hiring of Veterans, referred to in this 
section as "the fund," is established.  The fund consists of revenues received from 
fundraising conducted by the advisory commission and any funds received as contributions 
from private and public sources.  The advisory commission shall administer the fund to 
support the program, including, but not limited to, the approval of expenditures from the 
fund to support the program.  The fund must be held separate and apart from all other 
money, funds and accounts.  The fund is nonlapsing and investment earnings credited to 
the assets of the fund become part of the assets of the fund.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Fundraising and Advisory Commission to Support the Hiring 
of Veterans in order to support a program to help veterans and members of their families 
find jobs, promote the hiring of veterans and members of their families by employers in 
this State and provide information to veterans and members of their families regarding the 
services to which they are entitled.  The bill also establishes the Fund to Support the Hiring 
of Veterans, to be administered by the advisory commission to support the program.