AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - A bill that bolsters veteran services and gives National Guard members free tuition at Maine’s public colleges and universities is winning support after Democrats and Republicans reach a deal on how to pay for it.
The Portland Press Herald says a funding compromise uses $628,000 from the Gambling Control Board and $2.5 million from unneeded debt service funding for the University of Maine System.
Future costs for the tuition bill would be included in the baseline of the state’s two-year budgets.
The Maine House voted unanimously on Friday to support the bill, which also includes new positions at the Bureau of Veterans Services designed to help veterans entering school and homeless veterans. The bill also provides a sales tax exemption to veterans’ organizations supporting treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.
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