An Act To Provide Peer Support and Advocacy Services To Participants in the ASPIRE· T ANF Program and the Parents as Scholars Program
Maine Legislature, Session 121, LD 0878
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: LA VERRIERE-BOUCHER, MAYO, KANE, MILLETT, MILLS, SHIELDS
Amends: 22 MRSA §3789

Legislative Document 
No. 878 
H.P.655 
House of Representatives, February 20,2003 
An Act To Provide Peer Support and Advocacy Services To 
Participants in the ASPIRE· T ANF Program and the Parents as 
Scholars Program 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
/J1~/J1.~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative LA VERRIERE-BOUCHER of Biddeford. 
Cosponsored by Senator MAYO of Sagadahoc and 
Representatives: KANE of Saco, MILLETT of Waterford, MILLS of Cornville, SHIELDS of 
Auburn. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. I. 22 MRSA §3789·E is enacted to read: 
§3789-E. 
Peer support and advocacy demonstration project 
1. 
Project established. 
The department shall contract with 
a nonprofit entity or entities within the State to establish a 
peer support and advocacy demonstration project. referred to 
in 
this 
section 
as 
"the 
project." 
to 
provide 
information 
and 
advocacy services for participants in the ASPIRE-TANF program, as 
established in section 
378l-A, 
and 
the 
Parents 
as 
Scholars 
Program, 
as established in section 3790, 
subsection 1, 
in 4 
different regions of the State. 
2. 
Project 
design. 
The 
contracting 
entities 
under 
subsection 
are 
responsible 
for 
selecting, 
training 
and 
providing supervisory and administrative support for ASPIRE-TANF 
program or Parents as Scholars Program participants who volunteer 
to serve as peer support advocates. 
The time spent by a peer 
support advocate in activities pursuant to the project may count 
either toward fulfilling the participation reguirements for the 
ASPIRE-TANF program under section 3788, subsections 10 and 11 or 
toward fulfilling the program reguirements for the Parents as 
Scholars 
Program 
under 
section 3790, 
subsection 
3, 
whichever 
applies to the peer support advocate. 
The time spent by a peer 
support 
advocate 
in 
activities 
pursuant 
to 
the 
program 
is 
considered a field training activity for at least 26 weeks of the 
period during which they serve as peer support advocates. 
3. 
Project criteria. 
The project must meet the fOllowing 
criteria: 
A. 
The 
department 
must 
provide 
notice 
to 
ASPIRE-TANF 
program and Parents as Scholars Program participants in the 
regions 
selected 
for 
the 
project 
that 
peer 
support, 
information and advocacy services are available to them and 
ensure that the project is designed to provide, 
to the 
maximum extent feasible, access to those services; 
B. 
Peer support advocates must receive adequate training to 
provide the services available under this project and must 
maintain 
the confidentiality of 
ASPIRE-TANF 
program 
and 
Parents as Scholars Program participants with whom they are 
working; 
C. 
Peer support advocates are authorized to work directly 
with ASPIRE-TANF 
program and Parents as Scholars Program 
workers and supervisors to help resolve problems identified 
by participants from whom they have received a request for 
assistance: 
Page l-LR1l23(l) 
D. 
Peer support advocates from each demonstration region 
are 
responsible 
for 
identifying and documenting systemic 
problems facing ASPIRE-TANF program and Parents as Scholars 
Program participants in their region and reporting those 
problems 
to 
the 
Maine 
Temporary 
Assistance 
for 
Needy 
Families Advisory Council established by Title 5, section 
12004-1, subsection 36-C: and 
E. 
The department or any employee of the department may not 
penalize, 
retaliate 
against 
or 
discriminate 
against 
any 
ASPIRE-TANF 
program 
or 
Parents 
as 
Scholars 
Program 
participant 
for 
seeking 
assistance 
from 
a 
peer 
support 
advocate or against any peer support advocate acting within 
the 
scope 
of 
the 
advocate's 
role. 
If 
a 
peer 
support 
advocate 
or 
ASPIRE-TANF 
program 
or 
Parents 
as 
Scholars 
Program 
participant 
believes 
this 
paragraph 
has 
been 
violated, the individual or the individual's representative 
may request a fair hearing pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, 
subchapter 4. 
SUMMARY 
This bill directs 
the 
Department 
of 
Human 
Services 
to 
contract with a nonprofit entity or entities to establish a peer 
support advocacy demonstration project in 4 different regions of 
the 
State 
to 
provide 
information 
and 
advocacy 
services 
to 
ASPIRE-TANF program and Parents as Scholars Program participants.