AUGUSTA – A Winslow state lawmaker has introduced legislation that would assist some former students of the now-defunct Mr. Bernard’s School of Hair Fashion, which closed its Lewiston and Bangor facilities without warning in January.

The bill from Rep. Catherine Nadeau, a Democrat, would allow former students of the school who had received at least 1,000 hours of instruction toward their cosmetology license to meet the remaining 500 required hours through experience as a trainee.

“Many of these students have completed much of their education in cosmetology but are unable to meet Maine licensing requirements because of the school’s abrupt closure,” Nadeau said in a prepared statement Tuesday. “Because of limited space in similar programs, they won’t be able to finish their training in a timely manner unless we act.”

Nadeau said she submitted the bill after hearing from former students from the school’s Bangor and Lewiston locations looking for a way to finish their training.

The bill, LD 1109, has been referred to the Legislature’s Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development Committee. It will be scheduled for a public hearing in the coming weeks.