Lawmakers on the Health and Human Services Committee voted unanimously yesterday in favor of a $7 million bond to support a four-year dental program at the University of New England.

The bill must win approval from the Legislature and be approved by voters in November, according to the Bangor Daily News. The bond would provide $5 million in funds to construct, equip, and staff a teaching dental clinic that has been on the Biddeford college's agenda for the past four years. The other $2 million would also be available through a bidding process geared towards rural dental clinics that provide care to low-income residents and those without dental coverage. UNE is the only qualifying bidder for the program.

No one spoke in opposition to the bill, according to the paper. If the bill passes, the school would accept about 40 students each year, with the first class enrolling in 2012.

Go to the article from the Bangor Daily News >>