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An Act To Amend the Competitive Skills Scholarship Program To Allow for Participation in Early College and Career and Technical Education Programs
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §6976  is enacted to read:
§ 6976. Financial assistance
 
1.  Competitive Skills Scholarship Fund.     The Commissioner of Labor shall transfer funds from the Competitive Skills Scholarship Fund, established in Title 26, section 1166, subsection 2, to pay tuition, fees and other costs incurred by a student to a postsecondary educational institution in which the student is enrolled through a dual enrollment career and technical education program established pursuant to this chapter. The Department of Labor may contract with an educational services contractor to help carry out the requirements of this section.
 
2.  Rules.     The Commissioner of Labor may adopt rules to implement this section. Rules adopted under this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
 
3.  Repeal.     This section is repealed on January 1, 2021.
Sec. 2.  26 MRSA §2033, sub-§2-A  is enacted to read:
 
2-A.  Transfers for dual enrollment career and technical education students.     Notwithstanding subsection 2, until January 1, 2021, the fund must also be administered pursuant to Title 20-A, section 6976.
 
This subsection is repealed on January 1, 2021.
Sec. 3.  26 MRSA §2033, sub-§5-A  is enacted to read:
 
5-A.  Secondary student eligibility.     Notwithstanding subsection 5, paragraphs A and E, until January 1, 2021, a full-time student at a public secondary school enrolled in a career and technical education program at a career and technical education center or a career and technical education region must be granted enrollment in the Competitive Skills Scholarship Program, within the limits of available Competitive Skills Scholarship Program resources, if the student applies for enrollment and meets the requirements of subsection 5, paragraphs B, C and D.
 
This subsection is repealed on January 1, 2021.
 
SUMMARY
This bill expands the Competitive Skills Scholarship Program to include participants who are under 18 years of age if they are full-time secondary students at a public secondary school and enrolled in a career and technical education program at a career and technical education center or a career and technical education region and:
1. Do not have a marketable postsecondary degree;
2. Have income less than 200% of the federal poverty level; and
3. Are applying for education or training for a job in an approved industry.
The bill also directs the Commissioner of Labor to transfer funds from the Competitive Skills Scholarship Fund to cover postsecondary education expenses for secondary students in a dual enrollment career and technical education program established pursuant to statute, also known as a "Bridge Year Program."
The provisions in the bill are repealed on January 1, 2021.