Miramant bill would shorten residency requirements for in-state tuition

AUGUSTA — A bill proposed by Sen. Dave Miramant, D-Camden, would shorten residency requirements for in-state tuition for colleges and universities in Maine.

The bill — LD 1749,“An Act To Shorten the Residency Requirements for In-state Tuition” — received a public hearing before the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee on Wednesday.

Sen. Miramant sponsored the bill after a student living in Rockland was denied in-state tuition at Maine Maritime Academy despite having lived in Maine for a year. In that year, the student rented an apartment, registered to vote, found a job, paid taxes, and registered his vehicle in the state. Miramant’s bill would allow any students who have been a resident of the state for at least one year to qualify for in-state tuition at Maine Maritime Academy and the University of Maine and Community Colleges systems.

“We should be doing everything we can to encourage young people to live and work in Maine,” said Sen. Miramant. “In this case, the student moved here because of his deep appreciation for the state and took all the right steps to be considered a Maine resident and qualify for in-state tuition rates.”

According to Maine residency requirements, you are a statutory resident if you spent more than 183 days in Maine during the tax year, and you maintained a “permanent place of abode” — a house, apartment, dwelling place, or other residence that an individual maintains as his or her household, whether or not he or she owns it.

Miramant said that while he understands that schools often know best how to set their own policy, deciding who and who is not a resident is beyond the rules established by the Legislature and is not a power they should have.

LD 1749 faces further action in the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, and votes in the House and Senate.

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