An Act To Establish the Public Higher Education Systems Coordinating Committee

Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §9,  as amended by PL 2013, c. 368, Pt. DDDDD, §1, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:

§ 9.  Public Higher Education Systems Coordinating Committee

SUMMARY

This bill is reported out pursuant to joint order by the Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs.

The bill replaces the Education Coordinating Committee with the Public Higher Education Systems Coordinating Committee to:

1. Promote efficiency, cooperative effort and strategic planning between the governance structures of the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System and address issues including, but not limited to, improving college affordability, promoting student transfer between the systems, reducing the duplication of programs, identifying opportunities for building cross-system economies of scale and sharing of resources and recommending statutory changes to improve the efficiency or effectiveness of the public institutions of higher education;

2. Investigate and pursue opportunities for collaboration and resource sharing with the Maine Maritime Academy; and

3. With the Commissioner of Education and the Chair of the State Board of Education, investigate and pursue opportunities to improve college preparation, transition and completion for Maine's secondary students.

The first meeting of the committee must be convened by October 15, 2015 and the committee is directed to meet at least twice each year.

The committee is required to submit a report on its deliberations, including any recommendations, to the Governor and the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over education matters by February 15th each year.