An Act Regarding the Formula for the General Assistance Program
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1375
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: CLARK, EDGECOMB, MARTIN, ROTUNDO, SA VIELLO, MILLS
Amends: 22 MRSA §4311

MAINE STATE LEGISLATURE 
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124th MAl ELEGIS ATURE 
FIRST REGULAR SESSIOt~-2009 
Legislative Document 
No. 1375 
H.P.965 
House of Representatives, April 2, 2009 
An Act Regarding the Formula for the General Assistance Program 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
'Presented by Representati ve CAREY of Lewiston: 
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1/1. 7J?t1C:{~{ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Representatives: CLARK of Millinocket, EDGECOMB of Caribou, MARTIN 
of Eagle Lake, ROTUNDO of Lewiston, SA VIELLO of Wilton, Senator: MILLS of Somerset. 
Printed on recycled p::l.pcr 
Be it enacted by the People o,fthe State of Maine as follows: 
) 
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §4311, sub-§l, as amended by PL 1993, c. 4lO, Pt. AAA, §7 
and PL 2003, c. 689, Pt. B, §6, is further amended to read: 
1. 
Departmental reimbursement. When a municipality incurs net general 
assistance costs in any fiscal year in excess of .0003 of that municipality's most recent 
state valuation relative to the state fiscal year for which reimbursement is being issued, as ' 
determined by the State Tax Assessor in the statement filed as provided in Title 36, 
section 381, the Department of Health and Human Services department shall reimburse 
the municipality for 90% of the amount in excess of these expenditures when if the 
department finds that the municipality ha.s been in compliance with all requirements of 
this chapter. If a municipality elects to determine need without consideration of funds, 
distributed from any municipally-controlled trust fund that must otherwise be considered 
for purposes of this chapter, the department shall reimburse the municipality for 66 2/3% 
of the amount in' excess of such expenditures when the department finds that the 
municipality has' otherwise been in compliance with all requirements of this chapter. If 
the unemployment rate for a municipality for the previous 3 months exceeds the average 
of the statewide unemployment rate for the comparable calendar quarters for.the previous 
years, the department shall pay 90% of the general assistance granted by that 
municipality if the department finds that the municipality has been in compliance with all 
'requirements of this chapter. The department shall pay an increase in departmental 
reimbursement under this subsection until the condition requiTing that increase returns to 
the level at which the increase is not required. 
SUMMARY 
) 
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to reimburse a 
municipality 90% of the municipality's general assistance costs if the unemployment rate 
of the municipality for the previous 3 months exceeds the average of the statewide 
unemployment rate for the comparable calendar quarters for the previous 5 years. This 
bill also requires the department to pay a statutorily increased reimbursement of general 
assistance costs for certain economic conditions as long as those conditions exist. 
)