An Act to Ensure General Assistance for Housing Does Not Reduce Assistance for Other Basic Necessities and to Increase Presumptive Eligibility and State Reimbursement for General Assistance

Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 1029
S.P. 447 In Senate, March 13, 2025
An Act to Ensure General Assistance for Housing Does Not Reduce
Assistance for Other Basic Necessities and to Increase Presumptive
Eligibility and State Reimbursement for General Assistance
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on March 12, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Health and Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator TALBOT ROSS of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representative GATTINE of Westbrook and
Senators: CURRY of Waldo, ROTUNDO of Androscoggin, TIPPING of Penobscot,
Representatives: DEBRITO of Waterville, GERE of Kennebunkport, GRAHAM of North
Yarmouth, RANA of Bangor, ZAGER of Portland.

Page 1 - 132LR0207(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §4308, sub-§1-C is enacted to read:
31-C. Housing assistance not to reduce assistance for other basic necessities.
4 Housing assistance provided under this chapter may not reduce the maximum assistance
5 level for other basic necessities for which a person or household is eligible to ensure that
6 the person's or household's basic necessities are adequately met. The total maximum
7 assistance level for a person or household must sufficiently account for housing assistance
8 while providing adequate eligibility for other basic necessities.
9Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §4309, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 515, §3, is amended to
10 read:
115. Presumptive eligibility. The overseer in a municipality shall presume eligibility
12 to receive general assistance of a person who is provided shelter in an emergency shelter
13 for the homeless located in that municipality. After 30 180 days, that person's eligibility
14 must be redetermined. When presumptive eligibility is determined under this subsection,
15 no other municipality may be determined to be the municipality of responsibility during
16 that 30-day 180-day period.
17Sec. 3. 22 MRSA §4311, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2015, c. 267, Pt. SSSS, §1, is
18 further amended by amending the first blocked paragraph to read:
19 The department shall reimburse each municipality and each Indian tribe 70% 90% of the
20 direct costs incurred by that municipality or tribe on or after July 1, 2015 for the general
21 assistance program granted by that municipality or tribe. The department shall reimburse
22 each municipality and each Indian tribe 100% of the direct costs incurred by that
23 municipality or tribe for providing emergency shelter for the homeless. For the purposes
24 of this subsection, "Indian tribe" has the same meaning as in section 411, subsection 8‑A.
25SUMMARY
26 This bill:
27 1. Requires that the total maximum general assistance level provided to a person or
28 household sufficiently account for housing assistance while providing adequate eligibility
29 for other basic necessities;
30 2. Increases the period of presumptive eligibility for general assistance for a person
31 who is provided shelter in an emergency shelter for the homeless from 30 days to 180 days;
32 and
33 3. Increases from 70% to 90% the amount of state reimbursement for direct costs of
34 general assistance incurred by each municipality and Indian tribe and requires the
35 Department of Health and Human Services to reimburse municipalities and Indian tribes
36 100% of direct costs for providing emergency shelter for the homeless.
26