Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §11417, sub-§1, ¶J, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 807, §3, is amended to read:

J. Employ persons, including private legal counsel and financial experts, on either a temporary or permanent basis, in order to carry out any of its powers and duties. The authority may not employ a person for the purposes of lobbying as defined by Title 3, section 312-A, subsection 9, without the prior consent of the Legislature. Employees of the authority shall are not be subject to Title 5, chapters 71 and 372, subchapter II;

Sec. 2. 20-A MRSA §11417, sub-§8 is enacted to read:

8.__Private enterprise.__Except for the provisions of subsection 1, paragraph J, the authority shall obtain legislative approval before making financial or other assistance available to a private enterprise.

SUMMARY

This bill requires the Maine Educational Loan Authority to obtain legislative approval before hiring lobbyists or making financial or other assistance available to a private enterprise.