If you have any students in Educators For Maine, State of Maine Grant, Tuition Waiver or GEAR UP
programs remaining that need to be certified for payment or need refunds processed for the 2011-2012 academic year, we urge you to visit our EPIC web site to process these requests.  In addition, please remember to complete your reconciliation prior to the end of the current academic year.

The Second Session of the 125th Maine Legislature recessed on April 14.  The break is temporary as legislators will be returning in mid-May to finalize a supplemental human services budget and dispose of a handful of remaining bills.

The Legislature approved an amended version of Gov. LePage's $38 million supplemental budget.  This budget is separate from the human services budget mentioned above.  It addresses a shortfall in the two-year, $6 billion budget that ends June 30.  The budget contains a total of $31 million in new spending for 2012 and 2013, which is offset by $41.8 million in general fund savings.  Gov. LePage exercised line-item vetoes with respect to two areas of the budget:  General Assistance funding to local towns and the "disproportionate share" to hospitals and psychiatric facilities, which offsets losses in federal funding.  Line-item vetoes apply only to dollar amounts contained in the budget and not budget language.  Legislative leaders declined to return to Augusta to address these vetoes, instead opting to address the funding issues in May when they reconvene.

Although most members of the Legislature have gone home, Appropriations Committee members will continue work in April and May on cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services and other budget items.  This budget will address an estimated $86 million deficit.  The Appropriations Committee received information regarding two issues that delayed completion of the budget this session.  It was reported that the state had not accounted for $14 million in revenues that were deposited in January.  This means that current revenue projections were based on incorrect figures and that revenues may have to be re-projected before the Legislature can complete work on the budget.  Another complicating factor is that the committee also learned that a computer error that came to light last month that allowed 19,000 ineligible people to remain on MaineCare was not corrected as anticipated and that an additional 5,300 ineligible people may have remained on MaineCare over the past three months.  The Appropriations Committee will be meeting the week of April 23-27 to also consider remaining bills and a possible bond package.

• L.D. 1662 (sponsored by Sen. Raye), An Act to Provide for an Advisory Referendum on the Approval of Tax-Exempt Student Loan Revenue Bonds:  The Maine Educational Loan Authority (MELA) issues private activity bonds to fund supplemental student loans for Maine students and families and services its debts with the revenue streams associated with student loan repayment. The bill directs the Secretary of State to hold an advisory referendum at a statewide election to determine whether the voters of the state favor the Governor's approval of MELA's issuance of no more than $50 million of tax-exempt student loan revenue bonds over the next 3 years, to be repaid by the loan recipients.  Status:  Public hearing held Wednesday, February 22 at 1:00 p.m. in Appropriations Committee.  Work sessions scheduled for April 23 and 24 at 10:00 a.m.
• L.D. 1422 (sponsored by Sen. Langley), An Act to Prepare Maine People for the Future Economy:  The bill as amended proposes to overhaul Maine's high school graduation requirements. The bill would no longer allow students to earn credits merely for time spent in school. Instead, they would have to demonstrate proficiency in every skill and topic in the eight content areas and five guiding principles of the Maine Learning Results.  An amendment removes the mandate preamble and requires the Department of Education, if funds are available, to make annual grants to school administrative units to fund the costs of transition to proficiency-based graduation standards for the awarding of high school diplomas.  The amendment also extends the date for implementation of the new system by one year for each year in which transition grants are not made or for which levels of general purpose aid for local schools fall below school year 2012-2013 levels.  Status:  Initially approved by the Legislature and placed on Special Appropriations Table to await funding. 
• L.D. 835 (sponsored by Rep. Knight), An Act to Strengthen Maine's Economy Through Improvements to the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit (Opportunity Maine):  This Opportunity Maine bill was carried over from last session.  It was amended by and reported out of the Taxation Committee.  The amended majority report replaces the bill and provides that the tax credit applies to qualifying educational opportunity loans entered into before July 1, 2022.  Other adopted amendments limit the refundability of the tax credit to program participants who obtain an associate degree or bachelor's degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, and allow an individual who is domiciled in Maine but who is deployed for military service to be eligible for the tax credit as long as all the other qualifications are met.  Status:  Initially approved by Legislature and placed on Appropriations Table to await funding.