Sec. 1. 20-A MRSA §13014-A is enacted to read:

§13014-A.__Senior life educator certificate

1.__Definition.__"Senior life educator certificate" means a certificate issued to an individual who has achieved professional standards in accordance with this section.

2.__Qualifications.__The state board shall adopt rules governing the qualifications for a senior life educator certificate that require that an applicant at a minimum:

A.__Hold a master's degree or above from an accredited, degree-granting postsecondary education institution in a field specifically relevant to the subject being taught in the classroom and have maintained a minimum grade point average of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, or the equivalent of a "B" average, during the postbaccalaureate program; and

B.__Have work experience in a field specifically relevant to the subject being taught in the classroom as follows:

(1)__Have 2 years or more of college teaching experience at an accredited, degree-granting postsecondary education institution and 5 years or more of work experience in a field specifically relevant to the subject being taught in the classroom; or

(2)__Have 10 years or more of work experience in a field specifically relevant to the subject being taught in the classroom.

3.__Endorsements.__A senior life educator certificate must be issued with an endorsement that specifies the grades and subject area the teacher is qualified to teach as determined by rules adopted by the state board.__A holder of a senior life educator certificate may not teach outside the area of endorsement.

4.__Two-year limit.__A senior life educator certificate may be issued for a 2-year period and may be renewed only in accordance with section 13016.

The state board shall adopt rules to implement this section and section 13016, subsection 5.__Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.