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Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘An Act To Amend the Education Laws Regarding the State Board of Education's Degree-granting Authority, the Telecommunications Education Access Fund and Certain Definitions and Programs’
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 9 and 11.
Amend the bill by inserting after section 12 the following:
‘Sec. 13. 20-A MRSA §10705, as amended by PL 2007, c. 572, Pt. A, §11, is further amended to read:
§ 10705.Courses for credit
An educational institution may offer courses or programs for academic credit leading to degree-completion requirements only if:
 
1. Authority. It has been authorized under sections 10704 and 10704-A to grant degrees;
 
2. State board authority. It has been given temporary authority by the state board to use the name "community college," "college" or "university"; or
 
3. Out-of-state institution. It is:
 
A.  Located outside the State; and
 
B.  Authorized by the state board to offer courses for academic credit leading to degree-completion requirements.; or
 
4.  Coordinated programs.  It is offering courses or programs in coordination with an educational institution in the State that is authorized to grant degrees and the state board has approved the coordination.’
Amend the bill in section 13 by striking out all of subsection 1 and inserting the following:
 
‘1. Prior to September 18, 1981.Have specific degree-granting authority granted to them by the LegislatureHad been authorized by the Legislature or the state board to grant undergraduate or graduate degrees prior to September 18, 1981 and are offering additional or different degrees at the same level;’
Amend the bill in section 14 by striking out all of subsection 4 and inserting the following:
 
‘4. Merger; consolidation; reorganization. The merger or consolidation of the educational institution with any otheran external entity, or the reorganization of the educational institution, including, but not limited to, reorganization in bankruptcy. This subsection does not apply and authority to confer degrees is not terminated if degree programs are consolidated or reorganized within an educational institution and are at the same level as those authorized by the Legislature or the state board prior to the consolidation or reorganization.’
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
 
SUMMARY
This amendment clarifies provisions regarding the authority of the State Board of Education to authorize additional degree-granting authority to an educational institution granted initial authority by the Legislature. It also removes the section of the bill that proposed repealing provisions for a superintendent to appeal a school board’s decision to discharge the superintendent.