LAW WITHOUT
GOVERNOR'S CHAPTER
SIGNATURE
372
JUNE 27, 2021 PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-ONE
_____
H.P. 238 - L.D. 334
An Act To Help Maine Students Catch Up and Keep Up by Providing
Remedial and Compensatory Assistance in Response to Education Disruption
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §12723 is enacted to read:
§12723. High school graduates tuition waiver; 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years
For the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, the system shall provide a waiver of
tuition and fees to any student who graduated from a high school in this State in the 2019-
2020 or 2020-2021 school year and who has completed an application for federal student
aid financial aid programs and is eligible for a Federal Pell Grant for the academic year in
which the person applies to the system. The amount of the waiver is limited to the
difference between the amount of the full tuition and fees and the amount provided by the
Federal Pell Grant and is limited to 2 school years. The system may request federal funding
allocated to the State in any federal law enacted after December 15, 2020 that provides
stimulus funds due to the pandemic related to coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, and
additional General Fund appropriations from the Legislature to offset the reduction in
tuition and fee revenues. The availability of the waiver is limited to the amount
appropriated.
Sec. 2. School administrative units to provide academic and enrichment
programs; grant program. The Department of Education shall establish a grant
program to provide funding for school administrative units to provide academic and
enrichment programs for students scoring below proficient in English language arts or
mathematics according to local assessment. To be eligible for the grant program, a school
administrative unit must offer academic and enrichment programs during the school year
and must offer summer academic and enrichment programs, beginning the summer of
2022, that are a minimum of 3 hours of instruction per day for a minimum of 5 weeks.
Funding for the grant program must include the use of any federal funding, including but
not limited to funding allocated to the State in any federal law enacted after December 15,
2020 that provides stimulus funds due to the pandemic related to coronavirus disease 2019,
or COVID-19, available for this purpose, and funding appropriated to the department from
the General Fund.
Page 1 - 130LR0476(03)
 Sec. 3. Administrators for tutoring programs. Using any federal funding,
including but not limited to funding allocated to the State in any federal law enacted after
December 15, 2020 that provides stimulus funds due to the pandemic related to coronavirus
disease 2019, or COVID-19, available for this purpose, the Department of Education shall
provide funding for an administrator of a tutoring program for eligible school
administrative units. To be eligible for these funds, a school administrative unit must have
volunteers providing tutoring to students for a minimum of 30 minutes, 3 times a week
during the summer of 2021 and the 2021-2022 school year. Funds provided pursuant to
this section must be prioritized by the percentage of students at each school administrative
unit eligible for federal free and reduced lunch programs, with the school administrative
units with higher percentages of eligible students receiving priority for funds.
Page 2 - 130LR0476(03)