AUGUSTA (AP) — The leaders of Maine’s higher education institutions are set to address the Legislature.

Maine Maritime Academy President William Brennan is scheduled to speak first during a joint session of the Legislature on Thursday. The heads of the University of Maine System and the state’s community college system will speak afterward.

The University of Maine System last fall announced it’s seeking a 12 percent increase in state funding over the next three years.

That increase includes $7 million that Republican Gov. Paul LePage is proposing to provide to the system to maintain the in-state tuition freeze. The freeze has been in place for in-state students for five years.

If approved, the total state appropriation to the system would increase from $200 million in 2016 to $229 million in 2019.

Maine State House is the state capitol of the State of Maine in Augusta, Maine, USA.

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