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LD657 • 2025

An Act to Modify the Law Governing Municipal General Assistance by Designating Broadband Internet Access Service and Wireless Access Point Technology as Basic Necessities

An Act to Modify the Law Governing Municipal General Assistance by Designating Broadband Internet Access Service and Wireless Access Point Technology as Basic Necessities

Technology
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Representative Abden Simmons
Last action
2025-04-30
Official status
Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to Modify the Law Governing Municipal General Assistance by Designating Broadband Internet Access Service and Wireless Access Point Technology as Basic Necessities

An Act to Modify the Law Governing Municipal General Assistance by Designating Broadband Internet Access Service and Wireless Access Point Technology as Basic Necessities Sponsor: Representative Abden Simmons Reference committee: Health and Human Services Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to Modify the Law Governing Municipal General Assistance by Designating Broadband Internet Access Service and Wireless Access Point Technology as Basic Necessities Sponsor: Representative Abden Simmons Reference committee: Health and Human Services Latest committee action: Reported Out; ONTP

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-04-30 Senate

    Pursuant to Joint Rule 310.3 Placed in Legislative Files (DEAD)

  2. 2025-04-28 Committee

    Reported Out; ONTP

  3. 2025-04-24 Committee

    Work Session Held

  4. 2025-04-24 Committee

    Voted; ONTP

  5. 2025-03-21 House

    Carried over, in the same posture, to the next special or regular session of the 132nd Legislature, pursuant to Joint Order SP 519.

  6. 2025-02-20 Committee

    Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services.

Official Summary Text

An Act to Modify the Law Governing Municipal General Assistance by Designating Broadband Internet Access Service and Wireless Access Point Technology as Basic Necessities
Sponsor:
Representative Abden Simmons
Reference committee:
Health and Human Services
Latest committee action:
Reported Out; ONTP

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Printed on recycled paper
132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 657
H.P. 425 House of Representatives, February 25, 2025
An Act to Modify the Law Governing Municipal General Assistance
by Designating Broadband Internet Access Service and Wireless
Access Point Technology as Basic Necessities
Received by the Clerk of the House on February 20, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Health and Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint
Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative SIMMONS of Waldoboro.

Page 1 - 132LR0707(01)
1Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
2Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §4301, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2019, c. 126, §2, is further
3 amended to read:
41. Basic necessities. "Basic necessities" means food, potable water, clothing, shelter,
5 fuel, electricity, nonelective medical services as recommended by a physician,
6 nonprescription drugs, telephone where when it is necessary for medical reasons ,
7 broadband Internet access service, wireless access point technology and any other
8 commodity or service determined essential by the overseer in accordance with the
9 municipality's ordinance and this chapter. "Basic necessities" do does not include security
10 deposits for rental property, except for emergency purposes. For the purposes of this
11 subsection, "emergency purposes" means any situation in which no other permanent
12 lodging is available unless a security deposit is paid. For the purposes of this subsection,
13 "broadband Internet access service" has the same meaning as in Title 10, section 1500-U,
14 subsection 1, paragraph A. For the purposes of this subsection, "wireless access point
15 technology" means technology that allows devices with wireless capacity to connect to a
16 network wirelessly.
17SUMMARY
18 This bill modifies the provisions of law governing municipal general assistance to
19 designate broadband Internet access service and wireless access point technology as basic
20 necessities.
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