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An Act To Support College Completion by Homeless Youth in Maine
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  20-A MRSA §10014  is enacted to read:
§ 10014. Homeless youth
 
1.  Definitions.     As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings.
 
A.  "Homeless youth" means a person 21 years of age or younger who is unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian and is without shelter where appropriate care and supervision are available, whose parent or legal guardian is unable or unwilling to provide shelter and care or who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. For the purposes of this paragraph, "fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence" does not include residence in an institution of higher education's on-campus housing. "Homeless youth" does not include a person housed in a correctional facility, jail or detention facility.
 
B.  "Institution of higher education" means an educational institution that offers an accredited postsecondary educational degree program.
 
2.  Homeless liaison.     Each institution of higher education shall designate a staff member to serve as a liaison to assist homeless youth who are enrolled in that institution of higher education.
 
3.  On-campus housing.     Each institution of higher education that has a residential campus shall:
 
A.  Give homeless youth who are enrolled in that institution of higher education priority for on-campus housing, including but not limited to on-campus housing that remains open during school breaks;
 
B.  Develop a plan for housing homeless youth who are enrolled in that institution of higher education during school breaks; and
 
C.  Allow homeless youth who are enrolled part-time in that institution of higher education to access on-campus housing during the homeless youth's first year of school.
Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §12572, first ¶, as amended by PL 2005, c. 471, §2, is further amended to read:
Any person who was in the custody of the Department of Health and Human Services and resided in foster care or subsidized adoptive care or, was a minor ward of a subsidized permanency guardian as provided in Title 22, section 4038-D at the time that person graduated from high school or successfully completed a general educational development examination or its equivalent under section 257 or is a homeless youth as defined in section 10014, subsection 1, paragraph A may attend, as provided in this section, any state postsecondary educational institution free of tuition charges.
Sec. 3. Maine Revised Statutes headnote amended; revision clause. In the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 20-A, chapter 429-A, in the chapter headnote, the words "tuition waiver at state postsecondary educational institutions for persons who have resided in foster care" are amended to read "tuition waiver at state postsecondary educational institutions for persons who have resided in foster care or are homeless youth" and the Revisor of Statutes shall implement this revision when updating, publishing or republishing the statutes.
 
SUMMARY
This bill requires institutions of higher education in the State to designate an existing staff member to serve as a liaison for homeless youth who are enrolled in that institution of higher education. The bill also requires institutions of higher education to give homeless youth priority for on-campus housing, develop a plan to provide homeless youth housing during school breaks and allow homeless youth who are enrolled part-time to access on-campus housing during the homeless youth's first year of school. The bill also expands the tuition waiver for state postsecondary educational institutions to include tuition waivers for homeless youth.