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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 369
S.P. 161 In Senate, February 3, 2025
An Act to Grant or Extend Conditional Teaching Certificates Under
Certain Circumstances
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on January 30, 2025. Referred to the Committee
on Education and Cultural Affairs pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator LIBBY of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representatives: BAGSHAW of Windham, CARLOW of Buxton, HAGGAN
of Hampden, LYMAN of Livermore Falls.
Page 1 - 132LR0929(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §6103, sub-§3-A, as amended by PL 2015, c. 395, §3, is
3 further amended to read:
43-A. Fees. The Commissioner of Public Safety shall assess a fee set annually by the
5 Commissioner of Education for each initial criminal history record check and a fee set
6 annually by the Commissioner of Education for each renewal criminal history record check
7 required by this section. The Commissioner of Public Safety may not assess a fee for
8 fingerprinting an applicant for a conditional certificate pursuant to section 13012-A,
9 subsection 1, paragraph D.
10Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §13011-B is enacted to read:
11§13011-B. Conditional certification extension based on extenuating circumstances
12 Notwithstanding the term of a conditional certificate under section 13012-A,
13 subsection 2, upon request of a school administrative unit, the commissioner may grant an
14 extension on an individual’s conditional certificate in the case of extenuating
15 circumstances, including, but not limited to, public health emergencies, illness of the
16 individual or an inability of the individual to teach for an extended period of time. The
17 request for an extension must be accompanied by supporting documentation of the
18 extenuating circumstances, which may include, but is not limited to, correspondence from
19 a physician or a written request from the superintendent of the school administrative unit
20 where the individual is employed.
21Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §13012-A, sub-§1, as enacted by PL 2017, c. 235, §11 and
22 affected by §41, is amended to read:
231. Conditional certificate. The commissioner may issue a conditional certificate to:
24 A. An individual who has not met all of the requirements for a certificate as set forth
25 in section 13013, 13019‑I, 13019‑G or 13022. ;
26 B. An individual who is eligible for an endorsement to teach in a teacher shortage area
27 as determined by the commissioner; or
28 C. A holder of a professional teacher certificate under section 13013 who is
29 transitioning to another endorsement; or
30 D. An individual who has been employed as a full-time professor at a college or
31 university in the State for at least 5 years.
32SUMMARY
33 This bill allows the Commissioner of Education to grant an extension of a conditional
34 teaching certificate in the case of extenuating circumstances. The request for an extension
35 must be accompanied by supporting documentation of the circumstances. The bill also
36 allows the commissioner to issue a conditional certificate to an individual who has been
37 employed as a full-time professor at a college or university in the State for at least 5 years
38 and prohibits the Commissioner of Public Safety from assessing a fee for fingerprinting
39 such an applicant.
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