An Act to Develop Maine's Credentialed Workforce
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1653
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs
Sponsors: SARGENT, RAFFERTY

Legislative Document
No. 1653
H.P. 1094
House of Representatives, April 15, 2025
An Act to Develop Maine's Credentialed Workforce
Reference to the Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs suggested and ordered 
printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative SARGENT of York.
Cosponsored by Senator RAFFERTY of York and
Representatives: BRENNAN of Portland, DODGE of Belfast, HEPLER of Woolwich, 
MITCHELL of Cumberland, MURPHY of Scarborough, OSHER of Orono, Senator: TIPPING 
of Penobscot.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA c. 447 is enacted to read:
CHAPTER 447
MAINE CREDENTIALED WORKFORCE PROGRAM
§12995.  Definitions
As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms 
have the following meanings.
1.  Authority.  "Authority" means the Finance Authority of Maine.
2.  Eligible student loan.  "Eligible student loan" means an undergraduate or graduate 
school student loan obtained for study at an accredited institution of higher education by a 
student eligible to receive assistance under a federal student assistance program authorized 
under the federal Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV.
3.  Fund.  "Fund" means the Maine Credentialed Workforce Program Fund established 
in section 12997.
4.  Priority occupation.  "Priority occupation" means a profession needing skilled 
workers as identified by the authority in consultation with workforce experts and in the 
Department of Economic and Community Development publication "Maine Economic 
Development Strategy 2020-2029," or successor economic development strategy for the 
State.
5.  Program.  "Program" means the Maine Credentialed Workforce Program 
established in section 12996.
§12996.  Maine Credentialed Workforce Program
1.  Establishment; administration.  The Maine Credentialed Workforce Program is 
established to support the credentialing needs of current and future participants in the 
State's workforce. The authority shall administer the program. The authority's chief 
executive officer may consult with experts on an ad hoc basis regarding business, 
education, labor and workforce needs in prioritizing targeted professions. 
2.  Eligibility requirements.  The authority shall establish by rule eligibility 
requirements for the program, which must include, at a minimum:
A.  That the applicant has received a bachelor's degree or graduate degree within 2 
years of the date of application;
B.  That the applicant has outstanding eligible student loans; and
C.  That the applicant is willing to accept and maintain employment in a priority 
occupation position in the State for a minimum of 4 years in return for repayment by 
the authority of a portion of that applicant's student loan debt.
3.  Application.  An application to the program must be made directly to the authority 
at a time and in a format to be determined by the authority.
4.  Maximum loan repayment.  The maximum loan repayment amount available to a 
participant in the program is $25,000 per year for a maximum of 4 years.
5.  Loan repayment agreement; provisions.  The authority shall enter into loan 
repayment agreements with participants in the program on terms and conditions acceptable 
to the authority, which at a minimum must require the participant and the participant's 
employer to certify annually, before any payment by the authority under the loan repayment 
agreement may be made, that the participant has been employed in a priority occupation 
position for the preceding 12-month period.
§12997.  Maine Credentialed Workforce Program Fund
1.  Fund created.  The Maine Credentialed Workforce Program Fund is established 
within the authority as a nonlapsing, interest-earning, revolving fund to carry out the 
purposes of this chapter. The fund consists of any funds appropriated, allocated or 
contributed from private or public sources, including from state and federal sources, and 
any existing funding for other authority programs that, at the discretion of the authority, 
may be combined with the program. The funds, to be accounted within the authority, must 
be held separate and apart from all other money, funds and accounts. Eligible investment 
earnings credited to the assets of the fund become part of the assets of the fund. Any 
unexpended balances remaining in the fund at the end of any fiscal year do not lapse and 
must be carried forward to the next fiscal year.  
2.  Fund administration.  The authority may receive, invest and expend on behalf of 
the fund money from gifts, grants, bequests and donations in addition to money 
appropriated or allocated by the State and any federal funds received by the State for the 
benefit of workers in the State who have outstanding eligible student loans. Money received 
by the authority on behalf of the fund must be used for the purposes of this chapter. The 
fund must be maintained and administered by the authority. 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.  Fund expenses.  Costs and expenses of maintaining, servicing and administering 
the fund and of administering the program may be paid out of amounts in the fund.
§12998.  Awards
1.  Publication of priority occupations.  The authority shall publicize, using a method 
determined by the authority and taking into consideration the recommendations of 
workforce experts, the priority occupations for the upcoming application cycle.
2.  Application cycle.  The authority shall publicize the dates and deadlines of the 
application cycle using a method determined by the authority.
3.  Award amounts.  The authority shall maintain financial projections and establish 
the targeted number of annual awards to be made to applicants each year who meet the 
criteria described in section 12996, subsection 2. In accordance with the priority 
occupations and point system established by the authority, an annual award may not:
A.  Exceed $25,000 annually;
B.  Exceed $100,000 in aggregate or 50% of a recipient's outstanding eligible student 
loan debt at the time of application to the program, whichever is less; or
C.  Be awarded to a recipient for more than 4 years total.
§12999.  Rules
The authority may adopt rules to carry out the purposes of this chapter. Rules adopted 
pursuant to this section are routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 2-A.
SUMMARY
This bill establishes within the Finance Authority of Maine the Maine Credentialed 
Workforce Program to support the credentialing needs of current and future participants in 
the State's workforce through student loan repayments to eligible persons who are 
employed in occupations identified by the authority as needing skilled workers.