An Act to Expand Maine's Health Care Workforce by Improving
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1311
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: INGWERSEN, ZAGER

Legislative Document
No. 1311
S.P. 541
In Senate, March 27, 2025
An Act to Expand Maine's Health Care Workforce by Improving 
Educational Opportunities
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator INGWERSEN of York.
Cosponsored by Representative ZAGER of Portland and
Senators: BENNETT of Oxford, MOORE of Washington, NANGLE of Cumberland, 
TALBOT ROSS of Cumberland, Representatives: DUCHARME of Madison, JAVNER of 
Chester.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA c. 279 is enacted to read:
CHAPTER 279
MAINE HEALTH CARE EDUCATION TRAINING AND MEDICAL 
RESIDENCY FUND
§1700-F. Maine Health Care Education Training and Medical Residency Fund
1.  Definitions.  As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings.
A.  "Earn as you learn program" means a program in which a student or learner is 
employed and is paid for learning specific skills and expertise for a particular role.
B.  "Rural" means, with regard to areas in the State, the areas that are designated as 
health professional shortage areas or medically underserved areas or that contain a 
medically underserved population as defined by the federal Department of Health and 
Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration.
2. 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 health care in rural and 
underserved communities and physician workforce development.
3. Fund sources and administration.  The fund consists of appropriations, allocations 
and contributions from public and private sources.  The department may apply for federal 
and private grant funding for the purposes of this section. Money received by the 
department on behalf of the fund must be used for the purposes of this section.  The fund 
must be maintained and administered by the department.  Any unexpended balance in the 
fund carries forward for continued use under this section, except for federal funds that must 
be expended according to guidelines issued by the Federal Government governing the use 
of those funds.
4. 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 health care 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 health care practice in the rural parts of the State;
C. Expanding rural residency positions and rotations for medical students in the State;
D. Establishing and expanding clinical preceptorships in rural and underserved 
communities, including the costs of preceptor recruiting, training and compensation for 
preceptor time and the costs of travel and housing for medical students in rural 
rotations;
E. Supporting programs that seek to develop local health care education leaders for the 
purpose of expanding clinical rotations, residencies and preceptorships;
F. Providing competitive grants through a program designed by the department for 
innovative solutions, technological advancements and earn as you learn programs to 
support and expand clinical education, training and placements for clinical health care 
roles. The department shall consult with experts in the field of health care in designing 
the grant program; and
G. Supporting electronic platforms used to make clinical health care placements.
5. 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. 2.  Appropriations and allocations.  The following appropriations and 
allocations are made.
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF
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
2025-26
2026-27
All Other
$5,000,000
$5,000,000
__________
__________
GENERAL FUND TOTAL
$5,000,000
$5,000,000
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Maine Health Care Education Training and Medical Residency 
Fund and appropriates $5,000,000 annually to support health care in rural and underserved 
communities and physician workforce development.