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LD 1433

Resolve, To Establish A Working Waterfront Infrastructure Engineer Corps Pilot Program And To Conduct A Feasibility Study Of A Higher Education Service Corps Program

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Rick Bennett and 7 co-sponsors

A two-year pilot program will provide engineering and permitting help to protect Maine’s working waterfronts, plus a study on a possible statewide higher education service corps.

Signed by Governor
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Bill Summary · LD 1433

Summary — LD 1433 (132nd Maine Legislature)

Title: Resolve, To Establish A Working Waterfront Infrastructure Engineer Corps Pilot Program And To Conduct A Feasibility Study Of A Higher Education Service Corps Program
Status: Signed by Governor (2025-07-01)
Introduced: 2025-04-03
Committee: Education and Cultural Affairs

Purpose

LD 1433 establishes a 2-year pilot “Working Waterfront Infrastructure Engineer Corps” to provide engineering, planning, and permitting expertise aimed at restoring and protecting Maine’s working waterfronts and other vulnerable infrastructure. It also directs a collaborative feasibility study on creating a broader Higher Education Service Corps program.

Key provisions

  • Establishes a 2-year pilot program (Working Waterfront Infrastructure Engineer Corps) to provide technical expertise (engineering, planning, permitting) targeted to the State’s working waterfront and related vulnerable infrastructure.
  • Directs a feasibility study of a Higher Education Service Corps program to be carried out collaboratively by the Maine Commission for Community Service, the Maine Community College System, the University of Maine System (UMS) and the Maine Maritime Academy.
  • Designates the University of Maine System to receive the General Fund appropriation needed to support the pilot program.
  • Provides that costs for the feasibility study can be absorbed within existing budgets of the participating agencies.

Fiscal impact

  • Final enacted appropriation: General Fund — $90,000 in FY 2026‑27 and $90,000 in FY 2027‑28 (total $180,000 over the two-year pilot).
  • Earlier versions reflected a larger appropriation ($150,000 per year); subsequent amendments reduced the appropriation by $60,000 per year to $90,000.
  • Additional costs for the feasibility study are expected to be absorbed within existing resources of the Maine Commission for Community Service, Maine Community College System, University of Maine System and Maine Maritime Academy.

Who is affected

  • Coastal and waterfront communities, municipal infrastructure managers, and businesses that rely on the working waterfront (e.g., commercial fishing, aquaculture, marine trades) who may receive technical assistance.
  • University of Maine System (program administrator/recipient of appropriations).
  • Maine Commission for Community Service, Maine Community College System and Maine Maritime Academy (partners in the feasibility study).

Timeline and legislative action

  • Referred to Education and Cultural Affairs: 2025-04-03.
  • Committee amendment(s) and Senate amendment adopted; House and Senate concurred. Final passage: 2025-06-25.
  • Signed by Governor: 2025-07-01.
  • Pilot funding scheduled in FY 2026‑27 and FY 2027‑28 to support the two years of the pilot program.

This Resolve is intended to test a targeted model for delivering engineering and permitting assistance to protect working waterfronts and to explore whether a broader higher-education–based service corps is feasible for Maine.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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