APPROVED CHAPTER
JUNE 10, 2021 155
BY GOVERNOR PUBLIC LAW
STATE OF MAINE
_____
IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD
TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-ONE
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H.P. 748 - L.D. 1010
An Act To Establish the Maine Service Fellows Program
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §7503, sub-§13, as enacted by PL 1995, c. 54, §1, is amended to
read:
13. Fund raising. Carry out fund-raising efforts to supplement federal funding and to
meet all federal matching requirements; and
Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §7503, sub-§13-A is enacted to read:
13-A. Maine Service Fellows Program. Develop and administer the Maine Service
Fellows Program under section 7506; and
Sec. 3. 5 MRSA §7506 is enacted to read:
§7506. Maine Service Fellows Program
The Maine Service Fellows Program, referred to in this section as "the program," is
established within the commission. Individuals who participate in the program are referred
to in this section as "program fellows." The commission shall administer the program in
accordance with this section.
1. Program purposes. The commission shall establish the program to:
A. Increase the opportunities for individuals to devote a year of service to communities
in the State;
B. Attract to and retain in the State motivated adults who have completed a college
degree within the prior 5 years to serve in positions where they can apply skills and
abilities to projects for the benefit of citizens of the State;
C. Provide rural and underserved communities in the State a resource to address critical
health and human, public safety, education and environmental needs; and
D. Strengthen civic engagement of both the program fellows and community residents
through solutions based in whole or in part in volunteer service.
2. Program design. The program must be designed to coordinate with appropriate
organizations in the served communities. Program fellows must be required to commit up
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to 20% of their time in the program to developing regional networks of volunteer programs
whose common goals can result in mutual benefits. An entity may submit a proposal to
sponsor a program fellow based on guidelines established under this subsection. Services
provided by a program fellow may include but are not limited to services to address home
evictions, to support workforce development, to mitigate and prevent substance use
disorder and to promote mental health. The commission may identify other priority needs
of communities to be addressed by the program and may make those services available to
eligible communities. During the first 3 years of operation of the program, the commission
shall ensure that program fellows focus on helping communities recover from the effects
of coronavirus disease 2019, also known as COVID-19, and the related pandemic, while
also addressing long-term issues that communities face. The commission shall establish
guidelines for the program that include but are not limited to:
A. Limiting the eligibility of entities that may sponsor program fellows to local or
county government, school districts, nonprofit organizations, faith-based organizations
and similar entities;
B. Establishing standards for local sponsors regarding supervision and support of
program fellows during their service;
C. Ensuring that projects and project proposals are well-designed and measure their
impact and do not include partisan or political activity;
D. Ensuring that program fellows are not used to replace positions eliminated or
position hours reduced as a result of budget cuts by the sponsor;
E. Requiring criminal background checks or other safeguards if projects involve
working with vulnerable populations such as schoolchildren or if otherwise required
to receive federal funds;
F. Focusing the program on rural communities as defined by the United States
Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service's rural-urban continuum
codes, except that the commission shall use criteria other than the codes for defining
rural communities in Penobscot County;
G. Authorizing private sector and local partner contributions to program operations
for travel reimbursements or training costs; and
H. Any other guideline that the commission believes will benefit the program.
3. Compensation. To the extent funds are available, the commission shall ensure that
program fellows receive the following compensation for service:
A. A stipend set by the commission to achieve an annual income of up to 212% of the
nonfarm income official federal poverty level. To the extent the stipend is paid from
the General Fund or any other account of the commission, personal liability insurance
and workers' compensation insurance, paid for from the same source of funds, must
also be provided. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, program fellows are not
employees of the State for the purposes of Title 5, Part 20;
B. A program completion bonus that includes, to the extent established by the
commission by rule, an educational loan payment in an amount up to 20% of the
stipend value paid on behalf of the program fellow to the holder of the loan; and
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 C. An allowance to pay for individual health insurance not to exceed 2% of the stipend
amount.
4. Funding. The commission may seek and receive both private and federal funds,
grants and gifts in support of the program. The commission may accept funding from other
state agencies to support program fellows whose work will support and promote goals of
programs administered by those agencies.
5. Rules. The commission may adopt rules necessary to carry out the purposes of this
section. Rules adopted under this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title
5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
Sec. 4. Program launch; advisory committee. The Maine Commission for
Community Service shall establish an advisory committee to guide the launch of the Maine
Service Fellows Program under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 7506. The
advisory committee must include representatives of town managers, regional planning
organizations, rural government leaders, not-for-profit organizations and the Maine
Municipal Association. The advisory committee shall: advise the commission to ensure
the program is focused on local leadership; suggest criteria for the selection of program
fellows; encourage publicity of the program, particularly for recovery initiatives related to
the coronavirus disease 2019, also known as COVID-19; and assist the commission in
monitoring progress of the program.
Within 180 days following the effective date of this Act, to the extent of any available
funds, the Maine Commission for Community Service shall seek to establish in 2022 the
first class of program fellows in the Maine Service Fellows Program under Title 5, section
7506, consisting of 10 program fellows who agree to participate in the program for up to
1,800 hours over a 12-month period beginning in 2022.
Sec. 5. Report. The Maine Commission for Community Service shall report to the
joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over state and local
government matters regarding the operations of the Maine Service Fellows Program
established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, section 7506 and its work no later than
January 30, 2024. The report may include any recommendations for legislation to improve
the program.
Sec. 6. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and
allocations are made.
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF
Maine Service Fellows Program N367
Initiative: Establishes base allocations to authorize expenditures for the Maine Service
Fellows Program if funding is received from private sources.
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 2021-22 2022-23
All Other $500 $500
__________ __________
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL $500 $500
Maine Service Fellows Program N367
Initiative: Establishes base allocations to authorize expenditures for the Maine Service
Fellows Program if funding is received from federal sources.
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FEDERAL EXPENDITURES FUND 2021-22 2022-23
All Other $500 $500
__________ __________
FEDERAL EXPENDITURES FUND TOTAL $500 $500
EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 2021-22 2022-23
FEDERAL EXPENDITURES FUND $500 $500
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS $500 $500
__________ __________
DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS $1,000 $1,000
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Statutes affected:
Bill Text LD 1010, HP 748: 5.7503
Bill Text ACTPUB , Chapter 155: 5.7503