Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

APPROVED               CHAPTER
                                                                JULY 27, 2023               456
                                                              BY GOVERNOR             PUBLIC LAW
                                STATE OF MAINE
                                         _____
                         IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
                     TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-THREE
                                         _____
                                H.P. 741 - L.D. 1169
 An Act to Amend the Laws Governing the Foreign Credentialing and Skills
                  Recognition Revolving Loan Program
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
    Sec. 1. 10 MRSA c. 110, sub-c. 13, headnote is amended to read:
                                  SUBCHAPTER 13
  FOREIGN CREDENTIALING AND SKILLS RECOGNITION REVOLVING
                   LOAN GRANT PROGRAM
   Sec. 2. 10 MRSA §1100-AA, as amended by PL 2021, c. 133, §§1 to 6, is further
amended by amending the section headnote to read:
§1100-AA. Foreign Credentialing and Skills Recognition Revolving Loan Grant
       Program
    Sec. 3. 10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§1, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is
amended to read:
    B. "Fund" means the Foreign Credentialing and Skills Recognition Revolving Loan
    Grant Program Fund, established in subsection 3.
    Sec. 4. 10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§1, ¶D, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is
amended to read:
    D. "Program" means the Foreign Credentialing and Skills Recognition Revolving
    Loan Grant Program, established in subsection 2.
    Sec. 5. 10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is
amended to read:
   2. Program established. The Foreign Credentialing and Skills Recognition
Revolving Loan Grant Program is established to provide financial assistance to immigrants
who need assistance in paying for eligible costs.
                                  Page 1 - 131LR0614(04)
    Sec. 6. 10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is
amended to read:
    3. Fund established. The Foreign Credentialing and Skills Recognition Revolving
Loan Grant Program Fund is established as a nonlapsing revolving fund to be administered
by the authority. All amounts appropriated to the program must be deposited into the fund
as well as all amounts repaid to the program by persons receiving loans under the program.
Amounts in the fund must be used by the authority for purposes authorized in this section.
    Sec. 7. 10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is
amended to read:
     5. Disbursement from the fund. Upon approval of an immigrant, the authority shall
determine the amount to be disbursed from the fund to the immigrant. Funds must be
disbursed directly to and used by the immigrant pursuant to a contract entered into between
the immigrant and the authority in accordance with subsection 7. Funds must be disbursed
by the authority in one lump sum in the form of an interest-free loan a grant. An immigrant
may not receive more than the maximum amount established by the authority, regardless
of whether the immigrant submits one or multiple applications to the fund.
    Sec. 8. 10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is
amended to read:
    6. Treatment of loans grants. Amounts loaned disbursed to an individual under the
program are not income for purposes of any municipal general assistance program as
defined by Title 22, section 4301, subsection 7.
    Sec. 9. 10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§7, ¶B, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is
repealed.
    Sec. 10. 10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§7, ¶D, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 447, §1, is
amended to read:
    D. A provision that, if the individual breaches the contract with the authority, the
    authority may require immediate repayment of the loan grant to the authority; and
    Sec. 11. 10 MRSA §1100-AA, sub-§9, as corrected by RR 2019, c. 2, Pt. A, §§13
and 14, is amended to read:
    9. Financing terms Terms and conditions. Loans Grants under the program must
conform to the following requirements.
    A. A loan grant to any individual for eligible costs may not exceed $700 $1,000, but
    this limit may be adjusted upward at least biannually by the authority to reflect inflation
    or cost of living or other necessary adjustments.
    B. Loans are not subject to interest.
    C. Loans must be repaid in full by an individual within 18 months of disbursement by
    the authority, together with any reasonable administrative fee established by the
    authority not to exceed 5% of the total of the loan funds disbursed to the individual,
    except that:
        (1) In any case of demonstrable hardship, the authority may allow extensions of
        time for repayment or other flexibility in repayment terms; and
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(2) Repayment of a loan may not be required until at least 60 days after the
recipient of the loan has obtained a work permit, except that, if the recipient of the
loan has obtained a work permit but has not obtained employment, repayment may
not be required until at least 30 days after the recipient has obtained employment
as long as the recipient is in compliance with the provisions of Title 22, section
4316‑A.
                           Page 3 - 131LR0614(04)
Statutes affected: 
Bill Text LD 1169, HP 741: 10.1100
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 456: 10.1100