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Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 1 and 2.
Amend the bill in section 3 in §8613 in the first paragraph in the last 2 lines (page 3, lines 32 and 33 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "in collaboration with the Office of New Mainers established in Title 5, section 25001"
Amend the bill in section 3 in §8613 in subsection 1 in the 3rd line (page 3, line 36 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "populations or" the following: 'that have'
Amend the bill in section 5 by striking out all of subsection 1 (page 5, lines 1 to 9 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
‘1. Program requirements. The Department of Education's office of adult education and family literacy, referred to in this section as "the office," shall administer the program. The program must prepare immigrants for identified workforce needs of employers in the State to accelerate entry into livable wage employment and enhance employer retention of the immigrants by combining vocation-specific English-language acquisition with training in the specific vocational areas required by the employers. Training must be conducted pursuant to a grant process under subsection 2.’
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 6 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 6. Department of Education to provide grants for English-language acquisition instruction for adult education programs and proposed welcome centers. The Department of Education's office of adult education and family literacy shall develop and implement a grant process to provide funding on a competitive basis to adult education programs in communities experiencing an increase in immigrant populations to reduce the waiting list for English-language acquisition classes and to increase the level of English-language acquisition instruction offered as needed by the communities receiving the grants and to provide funding on a competitive basis to proposed welcome centers. The department shall award grants under this section to eligible communities in a number and amount determined by available funding. The department shall adopt routine technical rules as defined by the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A to carry out the purposes of this section.’
Amend the bill in section 7 in subsection 1 in the first 3 lines (page 6, lines 37 to 39 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "in collaboration with the Office of New Mainers established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 25001"
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 8 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 8. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
 
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF
 
Adult Education 0364
 
Initiative: Provides funds for expansion of the Welcome Center Initiative within the City of Lewiston's adult education program to attract, educate and retain foreign-trained workers residing in Androscoggin County.

GENERAL FUND	2017-18	2018-19	
All Other	$75,000	$75,000	
			
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$75,000	$75,000	

Adult Education 0364
 
Initiative: Provides funds for grants to adult education programs to increase English-language acquisition instruction in communities experiencing an increase in immigrant populations, which will serve 400 participants in both fiscal years of the biennium, and for grants for proposed Welcome Centers.

GENERAL FUND	2017-18	2018-19	
All Other	$200,000	$200,000	
			
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$200,000	$200,000	

Local Community Planning Support Program N256
 
Initiative: Provides funds for counties, municipalities and school administrative units to manage new immigrant populations who have settled within the counties, municipalities and school administrative units or to attract immigrant populations to address depopulation or workforce shortages within the counties, municipalities and school administrative units.

GENERAL FUND	2017-18	2018-19	
All Other	$150,000	$150,000	
			
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$150,000	$150,000	

Vocation-specific English-language Acquisition and Workforce Training Program N255
 
Initiative: Provides funds for grants to service providers to provide English-language instruction and vocational training and to place immigrant populations in the State with employers of the State. The grants will serve 400 participants in fiscal year 2017-18 and 500 participants in fiscal year 2018-19.

GENERAL FUND	2017-18	2018-19	
All Other	$320,000	$400,000	
			
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$320,000	$400,000	

EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF			
DEPARTMENT TOTALS	2017-18	2018-19	
			
GENERAL FUND	$745,000	$825,000	
			
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS	$745,000	$825,000	
 
’
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.
 
SUMMARY
This amendment is the majority report of the committee and removes the Office of New Mainers and the Office of New Mainers Advisory Committee from the bill and removes all references to both offices. It adds proposed welcome centers to the purpose for which adult education program grants may be given. The amendment also adds an appropriations and allocations section.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)