Bills to fight brain drain, boost STEM workforce earn broad support
AUGUSTA — Three governor’s bills sponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Justin Alfond, D-Portland, earned broad support from the public and from the legislative committees of jurisdiction after being introduced on Tuesday.
The bills would support workforce development and slow the “brain drain” of skilled graduates leaving Maine after receiving their diplomas. Maine’s average age is 43, making its workforce the oldest in the country. Meanwhile, too many young Mainers are leaving the state for high-paying jobs elsewhere in the country.
The package of education bills will increase the state’s ability to attract students in growing fields and retain them in Maine after they graduate. Proponents included the University of Maine System, the Finance Authority of Maine, the Maine Mayors Coalition and the American Council of Engineering Companies.
The first bill, LD 1657, expands eligibility for the Educational Opportunity Tax Credit, which has helped thousands of Mainers get their education, stay in Maine and pay off their student debt since it was enacted in 2008. The bill also expands the tax credit employers may claim for helping their employees pay off their student debt. It received the unanimous endorsement of the Legislature’s Taxation Committee on Tuesday.
“The EOTC is one of the best weapons in the state’s arsenal at fighting the brain drain,” said Sen. Alfond, one of the tax credit’s lead architects. “As eligibility for the EOTC grows, more and more trained, skilled workers will be able to live in Maine. That’s a win for employers and for our state’s future.”
The second bill, LD 1655, establishes a low-interest loan program for Mainers studying in the STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). The program will help Mainers attend college and use reduced interest rates as incentives to help them plant roots in Maine after graduation. An amended version of the bill was endorsed by a bipartisan majority of the Education Committee.
“We know that one of the best ways to create jobs in our state is to develop a skilled workforce capable of creating, building and maintaining the technologies of the future,” said Sen. Alfond. “By recruiting more STEM students and creating incentives for them to stay in Maine, we can sustain and attract high-tech manufacturers and others to invest in our state and create jobs.”
A third bill, LD 1656, which would provide funding for the STEM loan program, was introduced to the Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. The committee will conduct a work session on the bill.
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