An Act To Stimulate the Maine Economy and Alleviate Child Poverty by Indexing Certain Benefits to Inflation
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 0909
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: MELARAGNO, COLLINGS, COOPER, GATTINE, HAMANN, HARLOW, LAWRENCE, MOONEN
Amends: 22 MRSA §3769-C

Legislative Document
No. 909
H.P. 637
House of Representatives, March 7, 2017
An Act To Stimulate the Maine Economy and Alleviate Child 
Poverty by Indexing Certain Benefits to Inflation
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative MELARAGNO of Auburn.
Cosponsored by Representatives: COLLINGS of Portland, COOPER of Yarmouth, GATTINE 
of Westbrook, HAMANN of South Portland, HARLOW of Portland, LAWRENCE of South 
Berwick, MOONEN of Portland.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §3769-C, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2001, c. 439, Pt. CC, §1 
and PL 2003, c. 689, Pt. B, §6, is further amended to read: 
1.  Amount of assistance.  It is the goal of this section to provide low-income 
families with children sufficient income to meet their most basic needs.  If the 
commissioner determines that unexpended funds are available within the Department of 
Health and Human Services state or federal ASPIRE or TANF accounts, the 
commissioner may, by rule, use those funds to increase the maximum levels of assistance 
in the TANF Program. 
A.  Beginning October 1, 2001, the department shall use unexpended funds in the 
TANF program to increase the maximum amount of TANF assistance by an amount 
equal to 5% of the maximum payments that were in effect on January 1, 2001, and 
shall increase the standard of need to maintain the same differential between the 
maximum payment and the standard of need that was in effect on January 1, 2001.  
Initial applicants for assistance may not become eligible for assistance as a result of 
any increase in the standard of need required by this paragraph. 
B.  Beginning with the 2004-2005 fiscal biennium, the commissioner must continue 
the 5% benefit increase provided for in paragraph A in the department's current 
services budget request for the TANF block grant. 
C.  Beginning October 1, 2017, the department shall adjust the maximum amount of 
monthly TANF assistance under paragraph B by an amount equal to the percentage 
increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index between 2001 and 2017 rounded to the 
nearest dollar.  
D.  Beginning January 1, 2018, and on each January 1st thereafter, the department 
shall adjust the maximum amount of monthly TANF assistance under paragraph C by 
an amount equal to the percentage increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index. 
For purposes of this subsection, "Consumer Price Index" means the Consumer Price 
Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, CPI-W, for the Northeast Region, 
or its successor index, as published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of 
Labor Statistics or its successor agency. 
SUMMARY 
This bill provides that, beginning October 1, 2017, if there are available unexpended 
funds, the Commissioner of Health and Human Services must increase the maximum 
monthly assistance amount under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program 
by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index between 2001 and 2017 and must 
further increase the monthly assistance amount on January 1, 2018 and annually every 
January 1st thereafter by the percentage increase, if any, in the Consumer Price Index.