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An Act To Facilitate the Purchase of Textbooks for Low-income College Students
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, which does not include the amount of the textbook grant awarded pursuant to subsection 2-A. 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 §11614, sub-§2-A  is enacted to read:
 
2-A.  Additional grant for textbooks.     A student who meets the eligibility requirements established in section 11612 is eligible for a textbook grant. In addition to the amount awarded pursuant to subsection 2, the authority shall award a textbook grant not to exceed $500 for the cost of textbooks required for courses in which the student is enrolled.
 
SUMMARY
This bill amends the Maine State Grant Program, which is a grant program administered by the Finance Authority of Maine to award grants to Maine residents who are students at postsecondary institutions of higher education in this State based on financial need. Under the program, the minimum grant is $1,000 per year.
This bill allows the authority, using the same need and residency criteria as for the grants, to award up to an additional $500 grant for textbooks per year.