Education Committee backs Sen. Mike Tipping bill to address decades of underfunding the University of Maine System, invest in Maine students

AUGUSTA — On Thursday, May 8, the Legislature’s Education and Cultural Affairs Committee endorsed a bill from Sen. Mike Tipping, D-Orono, LD 1219, “An Act to Increase State Funding for the Campuses of the University of Maine System and to Raise the Minimum Hourly Wage for Employees of the System.”

“For decades, Maine has steadily underfunded its public universities, leading to higher tuition and less investment in young people, research and our collective future,” said Sen. Tipping. “This bill attempts to begin to address the underfunding and could make a real difference in preserving and expanding the greatest engines of opportunity that we possess in Maine.”

As amended, LD 1219 would provide ongoing funds to support a 4% increase ($9.5 million) in funding for fiscal year 2025-26 and an additional 4% increase ($19.5 million) in funding for fiscal year 2026-27 to support the continuation of current University of Maine System operations.

This 4% funding increase aligns with the Governor Janet Mills Administration’s biennial budget proposal, the report back from a bipartisan majority of the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee and the University of Maine System’s Part II FY26-27 state biennial budget request.

In testimony for the public hearing, University of Southern Maine economics professor Rachel Bouvier told the Committee, “Our students — whether they are adult learners, veterans, New Mainers or recent high school graduates — go on to serve Maine as engineers, educators, artists, health professionals and more. An investment in the UMS is an investment in the future of our state.”

Similarly, Rachel Hovel, a biology professor at the University of Maine at Farmington, explained, “Our students deserve education and experiences that will lead to their success after graduation. Our state deserves talented and motivated UMS graduates that will continue to innovate our role into the future. Appropriate funding for the University of Maine System is critical to our continued offering of strong programs that keep young people in the state and draw new talented people to the region.”

In 1990, the state provided more than 70% of funding for the University of Maine System. Now, it is around 40%.

While the majority report supported a 4% increase each year, a separate report also received support to increase funding by 6%.

In the coming weeks, the Committee will report out LD 1219 for votes in the Senate and House.

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