Maine is considering making its free community college program a permanent feature of the state budget, but lawmakers are also moving to narrow eligibility and shift cost responsibility. Proposed changes would require one year of Maine residency before applying, limit the benefit to three years of study rather than four, and remove coverage of institutional fees. The policy debate reflects a broader affordability push by Gov. Janet Mills, paired with fiscal constraints and lawmakers’ concerns that out-of-state students were accessing the benefit after moving into Maine. Higher-education leaders now face a tradeoff between program optics and long-term state budget feasibility.