Committee hears LD 2098 to allow application fees for out‑of‑state colleges; senator seeks change for College of the Atlantic
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Summary
The Joint Standing Committee on Education and Cultural Affairs heard testimony on LD 2098 to authorize initial application fees and allow the Higher Education Administration Fund to receive them; testimony also requested an amendment to broaden College of the Atlantic’s degree‑granting authority so it can grant an environmental studies BA to incoming transfers.
Representative Holly Sargent opened the public hearing for LD 2098, saying the bill would let the Maine Department of Education collect initial application fees from institutions seeking degree‑granting authorization or program approval and allow the Higher Education Administration Fund to receive those fees.
Michael Perry, director of higher education and educator support services at the Maine Department of Education, testified in support. He said Maine is among a minority of states that do not charge application fees, which he argued weakens consumer protections and creates a bottleneck for the department’s review process. Perry described the authorization and program approval procedures under rule chapter 149 and offered example one‑time fees used for planning purposes: $1,000 for an in‑state institution with a physical presence, $500 for a brand‑new in‑state school with a physical presence, and $250 for an out‑of‑state institution without a physical presence. Perry said the fund could be used to ease capacity constraints—by staffing or by stipends for volunteer reviewers—subject to departmental approvals.
Committee members asked several clarifying questions about fee caps, whether the commissioner could set or change fees without legislative approval, how funds would be reported or restricted, and whether fees would be one‑time or recurring. Perry said the intent is a one‑time application fee, not an annual licensing fee, and that the commissioner would set fees based on comparable states; he also said there was no mandatory annual reporting in the bill but that existing statutory guardrails would apply to how the fund could be used.
Senator Nicole Grohowski testified on behalf of the College of the Atlantic (COA), asking the committee to amend COA’s private and special law (Private and Special Law 1973, ch.29) by striking the phrase “in human ecology.” Grohowski said COA plans to accept environmental studies students transferring from Sterling College (Vermont), which is closing, and needs statutory authority to grant those degrees. She said DOE supports a legislative remedy and that LD 2098 is an appropriate vehicle for a concise amendment specific to COA.
No opposition testimony was recorded in the public hearing. The committee reserved further detailed technical questions for work session.
Next steps: LD 2098 will proceed to work session where staff will provide requested comparative fee data, clarify reporting/oversight language, and consider whether the COA amendment is best accommodated as an amendment to LD 2098 or a separate private and special bill.
