AUGUSTA - The Legislature's Education and Cultural Affairs Committee voted to advance a bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Sylvester, D-Portland, on Monday that would call on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Council to coordinate the development of higher education programs and public-private partnerships to enhance education and employment opportunities in STEM fields.
LD 515 would require the council to work with the University of Maine System, the Maine Community College System, adult education programs, the Finance Authority of Maine, the Loring Development Authority of Maine and private sector stakeholders to develop proposals for a series of programs and initiatives to promote new models of manufacturing education and employment.
The bill was voted out of committee with 10 committee members voting in favor of the legislation and three against.
"Without costing us any more money, this bill will allow Maine to expand upon and create a new climate of innovation around emerging technology sectors," said Sylvester. "Like MIT has done for the biotech industry in Cambridge, Maine can establish an intergenerational, interconnected network of businesses creating products for each other and for the world."
The bill will face a vote in the full Legislature in the coming weeks.
Sylvester is serving his third term in the Maine House and represents part of Portland. He serves as House chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Labor and Housing.
Contact:
Jackie Merrill [Sylvester], c. 812-1111