An Act To Reward Work Performed by Welfare Recipients
Maine Legislature, Session 127, LD 1402
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: FREDETTE, THIBODEAU, DUNPHY, FOLEY, SANDERSON, BRAKEY, KATZ
Amends: 22 MRSA §3762, 22 MRSA §3769-D

Legislative Document 
No. 1402 
H.P. 951 
House of Representatives, May 12, 2015 
An Act To Reward Work Performed by Welfare Recipients 
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed. 
ROBERT B. HUNT 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative FREDETTE of Newport.  (GOVERNOR'S BILL) 
Cosponsored by President THIBODEAU of Waldo and 
Representatives: DUNPHY of Embden, FOLEY of Wells, SANDERSON of Chelsea, 
Senators: BRAKEY of Androscoggin, KATZ of Kennebec. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §3762, sub-§3, ¶B, as amended by PL 2013, c. 368, Pt. OO, 
§3 and Pt. UUU, §1 and affected by §2, is further amended to read: 
B.  The department may use funds, insofar as resources permit, provided under and in 
accordance with the United States Social Security Act or state funds appropriated for 
this purpose or a combination of state and federal funds to provide assistance to 
families under this chapter.  In addition to assistance for families described in this 
subsection, funds must be expended for the following purposes: 
(1)  To continue the pass-through of the first $50 per month of current child 
support collections and the exclusion of the $50 pass-through from the budget 
tests and benefit calculations; 
(2)  To provide financial assistance to noncitizens legally admitted to the United 
States who are receiving assistance under this subsection as of July 1, 2011.  
Recipients of assistance under this subparagraph are limited to the categories of 
noncitizens who would be eligible for the TANF programs but for their status as 
aliens under PRWORA.  Eligibility for the TANF program for these categories of 
noncitizens must be determined using the criteria applicable to other recipients of 
assistance from the TANF program. Any household receiving assistance as of  
July 1, 2011 may continue to receive assistance, as long as that household 
remains eligible, without regard to interruptions in coverage or gaps in eligibility 
for service. A noncitizen legally admitted to the United States who is neither 
receiving assistance on July 1, 2011 nor has an application pending for assistance 
on July 1, 2011 that is later approved is not eligible for financial assistance 
through a state-funded program unless that noncitizen is: 
(a)  Elderly or disabled, as described under the laws governing supplemental 
security income in 42 United States Code, Sections 1381 to 1383f (2010); 
(b)  A victim of domestic violence;  
(c)  Experiencing other hardship, such as time necessary to obtain proper 
work documentation, as defined by the department by rule. Rules adopted by 
the department under this division are routine technical rules as defined by 
Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A; or 
(d)  Unemployed but has obtained proper work documentation, as defined by 
the department by rule.  Rules adopted by the department under this division 
are routine technical rules as defined by Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A; 
(3) To provide benefits to certain 2-parent families whose deprivation is based on 
physical or mental incapacity; 
(4)  To provide an assistance program for needy children, 19 to 21 years of age, 
who are in full-time attendance in secondary school.  The program is operated for 
those individuals who qualify for TANF under the United States Social Security 
Act, except that they fail to meet the age requirement, and is also operated for the 
parent or caretaker relative of those individuals.  Except for the age requirement, 
all provisions of TANF, including the standard of need and the amount of 
assistance, apply to the program established pursuant to this subparagraph; 
(5)  To provide assistance for a pregnant woman who is otherwise eligible for 
assistance under this chapter, except that she has no dependents under 19 years of 
age.  An individual is eligible for the monthly benefit for one eligible person if 
the medically substantiated expected date of the birth of her child is not more 
than 90 days following the date the benefit is received; 
(6)  To provide a special housing allowance for TANF families whose shelter 
expenses for rent, mortgage or similar payments, homeowners insurance and 
property taxes equal or exceed 75% of their monthly income.  The special 
housing allowance is limited to $200 per month for each family.  For purposes of 
this subparagraph, "monthly income" means the total of the TANF monthly 
benefit and all income countable under the TANF program, plus child support 
received by the family, excluding the $50 pass-through payment; 
(7)  In determining benefit levels for TANF recipients who have earnings from 
employment, the department shall disregard from monthly earnings the 
following: 
(a)  One hundred and eight dollars; 
(b)  Fifty percent of the remaining earnings that are less than the federal 
poverty level; and 
(c)  All actual child care costs necessary for work, except that the department 
may limit the child care disregard to $175 per month per child or $200 per 
month per child under 2 years of age or with special needs; 
(d) For a recipient employed 40 or more hours per week and who meets work 
participation requirements as defined in federal TANF rules, 100% of the 
gross earned income for the first full month of employment and the next 
consecutive month of employment, 75% of the gross earned income for the 
next 6 consecutive months of employment and 50% of the gross earned 
income for each additional consecutive month of employment thereafter; and 
(e) For a recipient employed less than 40 hours per week and who meets 
work participation requirements as defined in federal TANF rules, 100% of 
the gross earned income for the first full month of employment, 75% of the 
gross earned income for the next 6 consecutive months of employment and 
50% of the gross earned income for each additional consecutive month of 
employment thereafter. 
The department may disregard 100% of earnings for a recipient under this 
subparagraph only one time in a 12-month period; 
(8)  In cases when the TANF recipient has no child care cost, the monthly TANF 
benefit is the maximum payment level or the difference between the countable 
earnings and the standard of need established by rule adopted by the department, 
whichever is lower; 
(9)  In cases when the TANF recipient has child care costs, the department shall 
determine a total benefit package, including TANF cash assistance, determined in 
accordance with subparagraph (7) and additional child care assistance, as 
provided by rule, necessary to cover the TANF recipient's actual child care costs 
up to the maximum amount specified in section 3782-A, subsection 5.  The 
benefit amount must be paid as provided in this subparagraph. 
(a)  Before the first month in which child care assistance is available to an 
ASPIRE-TANF recipient under this paragraph and periodically thereafter, the 
department shall notify the recipient of the total benefit package and the 
following options of the recipient: to receive the total benefit package 
directly; or to have the department pay the recipient's child care assistance 
directly to the designated child care provider for the recipient and pay the 
balance of the total benefit package to the recipient. 
(b)  If an ASPIRE-TANF recipient notifies the department that the recipient 
chooses to receive the child care assistance directly, the department shall pay 
the total benefit package to the recipient. 
(c)  If an ASPIRE-TANF recipient does not respond or notifies the 
department of the choice to have the child care assistance paid directly to the 
child care provider from the total benefit package, the department shall pay 
the child care assistance directly to the designated child care provider for the 
recipient.  The department shall pay the balance of the total benefit package 
to the recipient; 
(10)  Child care assistance under this paragraph must be paid by the department 
in a prompt manner that permits an ASPIRE-TANF recipient to access child care 
necessary for work; and 
(11)  The department shall adopt rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375 to 
implement this subsection.  Rules adopted pursuant to this subparagraph are 
routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
Sec. 2.  22 MRSA §3762, sub-§8, ¶B, as amended by PL 2013, c. 97, §1, is 
further amended to read: 
B.  The department shall provide limited transitional transportation benefits to meet 
employment-related costs to ASPIRE-TANF program participants who lose 
eligibility for TANF assistance due to employment.  The department may also make 
transitional transportation benefits available to families in which one or both adults 
are working and who, although they remain financially eligible for TANF benefits, 
request that their benefits be terminated.  Benefits may be provided for up to 12 18 
months following loss of TANF eligibility.  The department may adopt rules that 
impose a weekly limit on available transitional transportation benefits and that 
require a contribution from each participant toward the cost of transportation. 
Sec. 3.  22 MRSA §3769-D is enacted to read: 
§3769-D.  Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant; family 
development accounts 
In fiscal year 2016-17 and annually thereafter, the Department of Health and Human 
Services may use $500,000 in funds provided under the Temporary Assistance for Needy 
Families block grant to promote financial literacy and healthy saving habits of families 
with income less than 200% of the federal poverty guidelines through the placement of 
funds in family development accounts established pursuant to Title 10, chapter 110, 
subchapter 4-A. 
SUMMARY 
This bill revises the earnings from employment the Department of Health and Human 
Services disregards when determining benefit levels for recipients under the Temporary 
Assistance for Needy Families program in order to provide recipients who are working 
with a greater earnings disregard depending on the amount of hours they work per week 
and whether or not they are meeting federal work participation requirements. 
The bill also increases the number of months eligible individuals may receive 
transitional transportation benefits from 12 months to 18 months. 
The bill also authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services, beginning in 
fiscal year 2016-17, to use $500,000 from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 
block grant to promote financial literacy and healthy saving habits of families with 
income less than 200% of the federal poverty guidelines by placing funds in family 
development accounts.