PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
An Act To Implement the Recommendations of the Commission To Study College Affordability and College Completion
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
Whereas,  this legislation needs to take effect before the expiration of the 90-day period in order to provide additional funding beginning in fiscal year 2015-16 to the Finance Authority of Maine for the expansion of the Maine State Grant Program, to the Maine Community College System for the annual costs of 27 College Navigator positions and to the Maine Community College System for the annual costs of expanding student work study opportunities; and
Whereas,  the Finance Authority of Maine needs sufficient time to adopt rules for the Maine State Grant Program in order to provide additional grant funding to eligible students beginning with the 2015-2016 academic year; and
Whereas,  in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, therefore,
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §11614, sub-§2, as amended by PL 2011, c. 642, §3, is further amended to read:
 
2. Minimum amount.   It is the intent of the Legislature that grants awarded under this chapter, except as provided in subsections 4, 5 and 6, may not be less than $1,000$1,500. The authority may establish by rule increased grant amounts for students attending their 2nd, 3rd and 4th years, or the equivalents thereof, at institutions of higher education. Rules adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 2.  20-A MRSA §11617, sub-§4  is enacted to read:
 
4.  Annual report.     The authority shall, by January 15, 2016, and by January 15th each year thereafter, report on the levels of grant awards made from the Maine State Grant Program to eligible students, including the tiered grants awarded in accordance with authority rules to eligible students attending their 2nd, 3rd and 4th years, or the equivalents thereof, at institutions of higher education, to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education and cultural affairs. The report submitted by the authority must also include any data, findings and recommendations related to college affordability and the unmet need levels of Maine college students, including analyses submitted in any studies conducted by the New England Board of Higher Education during the year.
Sec. 3. College attainment and degree completion goals; report. The University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System and the Maine Maritime Academy shall each submit a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs by July 1, 2015 regarding their progress in implementing the goals and objectives pertaining to college attainment and degree completion specified in the "Statewide Education and Workforce Development Strategic Plan" report submitted by the Education Coordinating Committee to the Joint Select Committee on Maine's Workforce and Economic Future on January 30, 2014.
Sec. 4. Strategic plan and funding required to implement college completion strategies; report. The boards of trustees for the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System and the Maine Maritime Academy shall each submit a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs by July 1, 2015 regarding their reactions to the strategies included in the October 2013 "The Game Changers" report prepared by Complete College America to enable more college students to complete degree programs and certificate programs and graduate from college. The report submitted by each board of trustees must include which strategies were agreed upon, what additional resources would be required to implement these strategies, what plan of action has been adopted and what assistance is necessary from the State to support the implementation of these strategies.
Sec. 5. Statutory college attainment goal; task force. Notwithstanding Joint Rule 353, the Task Force To Study College Attainment and Degree Completion Goals, referred to in this section as "the task force," is established.
1. The task force consists of 15 members as follows:
A. Five members appointed by the President of the Senate, including not more than 2 members from the party holding the largest number of seats in the Legislature, as follows:
(1) One member of the Senate who serves on the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, who shall serve as a cochair of the task force;
(2) One member of the Senate who serves on the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs;
(3) One member of the Senate who serves on the Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development;
(4) One member who serves on the Board of Directors of the Maine Development Foundation; and
(5) One member who serves on the Board of Directors of Educate Maine;
B. Six members appointed by the Speaker of the House, including not more than 2 members from the party holding the largest number of seats in the Legislature, as follows:
(1) Two members of the House of Representatives who serve on the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, the first of whom shall serve as a cochair of the task force;
(2) One member of the House of Representatives who serves on the Joint Standing Committee on Appropriations and Financial Affairs;
(3) One member of the House of Representatives who serves on the Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development;
(4) One member who serves on the Board of Directors of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce; and
(5) One member who serves on the Advisory Council of the Maine Centers for Women, Work and Community;
C. The Commissioner of Education or the commissioner's designee;
D. The Commissioner of Labor or the commissioner's designee;
E. The Commissioner of Economic and Community Development or the commissioner's designee; and
F. One public member appointed by the Governor.
2. All appointments must be made no later than 30 days following the effective date of this Act. The appointing authorities shall notify the Executive Director of the Legislative Council once all appointments have been completed. Within 15 days after appointment of all members, the chairs shall call and convene the first meeting of the task force, which must be no later than 30 days following the appointment of all members. The task force may meet 5 times.
3. The study conducted by the task force must include, but is not limited to:
A. A review of the college completion findings and recommendations included in the December 2014 report submitted by the Commission To Study College Affordability and College Completion to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs, including the college attainment goals proposed to the commission by Educate Maine, the attainment goals established by the Lumina Foundation and the "40-40-20" aspirational goal for all levels of education established by the State of Oregon;
B. An examination and review of the secondary and postsecondary education attainment metrics contained within:
(1) The Department of Education's Maine Statewide Longitudinal Data System developed pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 6005;
(2) The Department of Labor's Maine Workforce Data Quality Initiative;
(3) Educate Maine's Education Indicators for Maine annual report;
(4) The Maine Development Foundation's Measures of Growth annual report; and
(5) The initiatives, research and data conducted and compiled by regional, national and state associations or agencies related to the establishment of postsecondary education attainment goals, as well as the review and monitoring of the postsecondary education attainment metrics related to the established goals;
C. A review of the initiatives proposed by the public and independent colleges and universities in the State as part of the March 2014 "Improving College Affordability and Completion in Maine" report submitted to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs;
D. A discussion with the public and independent colleges and universities in the State to recognize the extent to which Maine's institutions of higher education may support proposed state policies and strategies to enable more college and university students to complete degree programs and certificate programs and graduate from Maine institutions of higher education; and
E. An analysis of other policies and strategies that a majority of the task force members agree to include in this study.
4. The task force shall seek outside funding to fully fund all costs of the task force and in accordance with the policy of the Legislative Council with regard to outside funding. If sufficient outside funding has not been received by the task force by 30 days after the effective date of this Act to fully fund all costs of the commission, no meetings are authorized and no expenses of any kind may be incurred or reimbursed.
5. The University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System and the Maine Maritime Academy shall provide necessary staffing services to the task force. The Department of Education, the Department of Labor, the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, the Maine Maritime Academy and the Finance Authority of Maine shall provide the task force with access to any nonconfidential aggregate information in their student record databases for postsecondary education students in the State necessary to carry out the duties of the task force. The Office of Policy and Legal Analysis shall provide drafting assistance to the task force.
6. The task force shall submit a report containing its findings and recommendations, including any necessary implementing legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs by December 15, 2015. The findings and recommendations submitted by the task force must relate to at least the following proposals:
A. The development of policies and strategies to increase the graduation rate of students enrolled in state-supported public institutions of higher education;
B. The establishment of a statutory postsecondary education attainment goal for the proportion of the State's adult population holding an associate degree or baccalaureate degree that is not lower than 50% by 2025; and
C. The development of annual or biennial review procedures to be conducted by the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education and cultural affairs for monitoring the secondary and postsecondary education attainment metrics contained within the Department of Education's Maine Statewide Longitudinal Data System, the Department of Labor's Maine Workforce Data Quality Initiative, Educate Maine's Education Indicators for Maine annual report and the Maine Development Foundation's Measures of Growth annual report.
 
The joint standing committee may submit a bill related to this report to the Second Regular Session of the 127th Legislature.
Sec. 6. Maine State Grant Program tiered funding; rulemaking. The Finance Authority of Maine, referred to in this section as "FAME," shall amend the Maine State Grant Program rules adopted in accordance with Public Law 2011, chapter 642 in order to increase the grant amounts that may be awarded for eligible students attending their 2nd, 3rd and 4th years, or the equivalents thereof, at institutions of higher education. The Maine State Grant Program rules related to the determination of tiered grant awards for eligible students must be amended to include the following provisions:
1. An eligible student for whom FAME does not require any expected family contribution toward the cost of attending an institution of higher learning is eligible for tiered grants starting at an annual award of $2,500 with an annual increase of $250 for each year that the student is enrolled; and
2. An eligible student for whom FAME requires an expected family contribution toward the cost of attending an institution of higher learning is eligible for tiered grants starting at an annual award of $1,500 with an annual increase of $250 for each year that the student is enrolled.
FAME shall amend the Maine State Grant Program rules authorized pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, section 11614, subsection 2 in order to implement these changes to the tiered grant awards beginning with the 2015-2016 academic year.
Sec. 7. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
 
FINANCE AUTHORITY OF MAINE
 
Student Financial Assistance Programs 0653
 
Initiative: Provides funding for the annual costs of increasing the tiered grants awarded to eligible students from the Maine State Grant Program.

GENERAL FUND	2015-16	2016-17	
All Other	$27,000,000	$27,000,000	
			
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$27,000,000	$27,000,000	

COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM, BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE MAINE
 
Maine Community College System - Board of Trustees 0556
 
Initiative: Provides funding for the annual costs of 27 College Navigator positions.

GENERAL FUND	2015-16	2016-17	
All Other	$1,800,000	$1,800,000	
			
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$1,800,000	$1,800,000	

Maine Community College System - Board of Trustees 0556
 
Initiative: Provides funding for the annual costs of expanding student work study opportunities.

GENERAL FUND	2015-16	2016-17	
All Other	$2,000,000	$2,000,000	
			
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$2,000,000	$2,000,000	
 
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation takes effect when approved.
 
SUMMARY
This legislation is an emergency bill that includes certain recommendations proposed by the Commission To Study College Affordability and College Completion for consideration by the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs.
The joint standing committee has not taken a position on the substance of the report or this bill and by submitting this bill the committee is not suggesting and does not intend to suggest that it agrees or disagrees with any aspect of the recommendations and the necessary changes to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, chapter 419-A included in the report or this bill. The joint standing committee is submitting the bill for the sole purpose of turning the proposals in the report into a printed bill that can be referred to the committee for an appropriate public hearing and subsequent processing in the normal course of business. The joint standing committee is taking this action to ensure clarity and transparency in the legislative review of the proposals included in the report submitted by the Commission To Study College Affordability and College Completion.