One Student Does the Incredible: Gets Law Passed for State to Pay Off College Debts - AlterNet

by Joshua Holland

Andrew Bossie found the staggering costs of tuition, books, and living expenses at college in Maine to be untenable. Working with fellow activists, his campaign eventually convinced the Legislature to offer a way out of debt.

When nonvoters are asked why they don't participate in politics, the most common answer they give is that they don't think they can have any impact. The system's gamed, they say, broken, and lawmakers are only concerned about the interests of their cronies.

Thankfully, Andrew Bossie, a young grass-roots organizer, never came to believe that ordinary people are powerless. In 2005, Bossie, then a student at the University of Southern Maine, looked around and noticed that a generation of young people was having real problems affording the kind of education that most people see as vital to having a shot at the American dream. "The skyrocketing costs of tuition, books and living expenses was taking its toll not only on me, but also on my siblings, friends and peers," Bossie wrote in an e-mail exchange. "It was not uncommon to see a college dorm vacated mid-semester because a tuition bill couldn't be paid, or to find a seat once occupied by an eager student empty, because they simply could not afford to continue."

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Take our Money, Please

Student debt no longer hits as hard for Mainers.

By Julie Bero, Colby College

On July 2, 2007 Gov. John Baldacci of Maine (D) signed into law the Act to Allow a Tax Credit for College Loan Repayments. The law is commonly referred to as Opportunity Maine, which is also the name of the group that pushed the proposal. It provides a tax credit to reimburse educational loan payments for any Maine resident who earns an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in Maine and who lives, works, and pays taxes in Maine after earning that degree. Qualifying graduates will be reimbursed for up to $2,100 per year through tax credits.

The first law of its kind, Opportunity Maine is a “cutting edge, comprehensive program,” in the words of Tony Giampetruzzi, communications director of Opportunity Maine. In a state where brain drain is a major concern, the legislation is especially welcome. According to a report done by the School of Economics of the University of Maine, the state lags behind the New England average of earned bachelor’s degrees by 23 percent and the majority of students who attain a higher degree leave the state upon graduation.

The Opportunity Maine organization was created in reaction to campaigning against a referendum that would legalize discrimination based on sexuality. Andrew Bossie, former student body president of the University of Southern Maine was active in that campaign. He and his friends, who sacrificed their time and GPAs to defeat the bill, wished they could have spent that time building rather than merely maintaining basic rights in their state.

As students, the first idea that came to them had its basis in personal experience. It was not uncommon to find a seat empty that had once been occupied by an eager student because they simply could not afford to continue, according to Bossie.

“Some of us were working two or three jobs on top of our full-time class schedules just to make ends meet,” he told Campus Progress. Although standing outside during a Maine winter to collect signatures was demanding work, Bossie believes that it was worth the effort and encourages other young people to take action. “If there is something that you want to change, find those that also want to create change and just do it. Sure, it won’t be easy, but no serious change is.”

When word got out about Bossie’s idea, a coalition of some of the strongest progressive groups in Maine quickly formed to champion the law. The campaign received strategic guidance from The League of Young Voters, an organization that encourages young people to create positive change in their communities by becoming politically active. “Our whole generation is realizing we’re getting screwed,” said Billy Wimsatt, Executive Director of the organization. “We’re getting left with the bill, the debt, and the melting ice caps. And we’re not taking it. We’re seizing the moment and saying: ‘Hey, this is our future! We’re in the driver’s seat!’” The movement is already picking up steam: the university system of West Virginia has already contacted Opportunity Maine for guidance on how to create a similar law.

Many involved with the campaign hope that the law will become popular at a national level. Student debt has become a problem for the majority of students as many colleges increase tuition faster than the inflation rate every year. The campaign noted that perhaps representatives do not understand the high price of tuition because it has increased so dramatically over the past 20 years. “The federal government, and generations who went to school before ours, need to realize that gone are the halcyon days when a summer job and part-time work could pay for a year at school,” said Brian Hiatt, The Portland League’s communication director.

The campaign was entirely dependent on its volunteers, who collected more than 73,000 signatures. There was an especially pointed campaign on election day, during which the majority of signatures were collected. Many of the volunteers spoke of their excitement about Opportunity Maine and said that they felt they had really made difference in their state. One gatherer of signatures, 2007 Colby College graduate Jack Drury, said of the experience: “As a member of a progressive youth-led campaign, it was refreshing to see such overwhelming support from the community at large. The progressive movement is gasping for effective ways to improve the world, and Opportunity Maine is that breath of fresh air.”

The bill was passed unanimously by the Maine House and with an overwhelming majority by the Senate, signifying that this law is important not only to young people, but to voters of all ages. At the bill’s hearing, State Rep. Walter Wheeler compared Opportunity Maine to the chances awarded to him by the G.I. Bill. “It made my career, my family, and my future possible,” said the Navy veteran, as quoted in The Portland Press Herald. “Now it’s a new generation’s turn.”

Julie Bero is an American studies major at Colby College. She collected signatures for Opportunity Maine. She is a native of Brooklyn, NY.

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Maine Lawmakers Pass Innovative Student Debt Relief Solution - News Blaze

The League of Young Voters is proud to announce a major legislative win for its Maine affiliate and the Opportunity Maine PAC, of which the League is a founding partner. Maine's Legislature passed a groundbreaking solution to the problem of student debt - that is vexing every state in the nation - by approving the Opportunity Maine initiative today.

With the passage of Opportunity Maine, any person who graduates from a Maine college or university - and then lives and works in Maine thereafter - is eligible for a tax credit to assist paying back their student loans.

"This is an exciting day for all of us who have worked to make college more affordable, create job opportunities, and grow Maine's economy," according to Andrew Bossie, President of Opportunity Maine. "Today's passage of Opportunity Maine is a testament to the thousands of volunteer hours spent collecting signatures and lobbying lawmakers. We now face a new and exciting challenge: to educate Mainers about this wonderful new opportunity to make their education more affordable and their futures much brighter."

Opportunity Maine will also help workers who have lost their jobs and need re-education for Maine's rapidly shifting industrial and employment climate. Moreover, businesses will also have the option of claiming the tax credit for employees they hire that are themselves eligible for the tax credit.

Opportunity Maine launched its signature gathering campaign in late September 2006 with an ambitious goal. A grassroots network of student and community volunteers collected over 70,000 signatures - more than enough to put the question on the November 2007 ballot if it came to that. In Maine, the Legislature has the opportunity to pass outright any citizens initiative before sending it to the voters. This has happened only five times before today when Maine's elected leaders thought the Opportunity Maine solution was so needed that they did just that with overwhelming bipartisan support. The Maine House passed the initiative unanimously, 142-0, and the Senate passed it 27-8.

"Young people, community leaders, and our elected officials have spoken decisively! Together we have put Maine on a long-term path toward economic and workforce development," says Justin Alfond, the League of Young Voters Maine State Director and Opportunity Maine Steering Committee Member. "The League and Opportunity Maine are eager to get the Opportunity program in front of every high school student and guidance counselor, current college student, worker's center and teacher's association statewide."

Currently, Maine has 30% fewer degree holders than the rest of New England. Maine's average income also lags 30% behind the rest of New England. At the same time, the burden of student debt has skyrocketed in recent years, leading either to crippling life-long debt, or a real - or perceived - inability to pursue higher education.

Opportunity Maine was formed to reverse those trends. The initiative was endorsed by labor and business councils, organizations, and leaders across the state as well as the University of Maine System.

"Opportunity Maine is a historic victory and a breath of fresh air for young people everywhere," says Billy Wimsatt, Executive Director of the League of Young Voters. "It's a quadruple play: it makes college affordable, addresses brain drain, pays for itself so the business community and labor are both on board and it ultimately brings money into the state of Maine. For students, families and jobs, this is an incredible groundbreaking model that can be replicated in other states. With record high costs for pursuing a higher education, Opportunity Maine is the biggest victory to relieve student debt this generation has seen."

Opportunity Maine and the League of Young Voters will announce a formal press conference and signing ceremony in the coming days.

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Credits give graduates incentive to stay here - Lewiston Sun Journal

Program would be a win-win situation for students and state

Rep. L. Gary Knight, R-Livermore, is a first-term legislator serving Leeds, Livermore, Livermore Falls and Wayne.

What's left to do in this legislative session?

The answer is considering a citizen initiative that will advance the future of Maine: "Opportunity Maine." This initiative deserves support from everyone who wants to help young college graduates find rewarding jobs and raise their families in Maine. It deserves support from everyone who wants to help displaced workers, single parents, and others get training to start new careers.

Opportunity Maine allows Maine college graduates who agrees to live and work in Maine to earn a tax credit to help pay their student loans. College has become expensive, but in today's global economy, it is a worthy expense.

There is no more valuable resource than young people. Unfortunately, upon finishing a degree, most students are heavily indebted. To make ends meet, too many leave Maine for proverbial greener pastures. Worse still, too many young people, displaced workers, and parents never pursue degrees to begin with.

Maine leads in graduating students from high school. Fifty-seven percent of high school graduates pursue higher education, with 69 percent meeting their objective. Thirty-one percent stop after earning a two-year diploma, while 69 percent complete four-year degrees. Every individual who fails to obtain a degree is a lost opportunity for Maine's economy, but there is yet another round of attrition for those who do earn their degrees.

More than half of Maine's graduates leave the state (though some do return later). In the interim, Maine faces the new economy with 23 percent fewer degree-holders than other New England states. It is no coincidence our incomes are 25 percent lower than New England as a whole.

Studies proves the importance of a college degree. Data suggests an associate degree means an additional $10,000, and $16,666 for a bachelor degree, beyond a high school graduate's earning power.

Students now graduate with an average debt of over $21,600, and inflation is going to increase that number. We need to be proactive in protecting and advancing this valuable commodity - our college graduates. Providing a modest tax credit is expected to do wonders for attracting these students.

So, how much will it cost?

According to the Maine Revenue Services, the first year of the program carries no cost, and the second year a small cost of less than $150,000. Credit for each student would be capped at $1,532 for associate degrees, and $5,532 for bachelor degrees, but average credits claimed would be far below those amounts.

Return on the credits is projected to pay for itself by 2015, and will trigger revenue growth in the economy. Opportunity Maine, who launched the initiative, projects the costs of the tax credits will grow from about $1 million in 2009 to $55.8 milllion in 10 years. Offsetting this is projected growth in tax revenue from the graduates' income from $875,000 to $74.8 million by 2018.

This is a win-win, for our students and our state.

There are downsides. This is not a perfect legislative solution, and suffers from parochialism. The state would be better served making the same offer to Maine students who obtain degrees from outside the state, who then return to Maine for employment and raise their families here.

We need to take this step first, however, and offer this incentive to those who stay and earn their degrees here in Maine. Once we establish the clear advantages, we can perhaps take the next step.

The Taxation Committee, by a 12-1 vote, sent this initiative to the full Legislature for debate and, hopefully, enactment. It is perhaps, some say, the most significant initiative to come out of Taxation in this session.

Please encourage your legislator to support this important initiative.

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