An Act To Reduce Child Poverty by Leveraging fuvestments in Families Today
Maine Legislature, Session 128, LD 1475
Committee Amendment CA_B_H402 (House)
Amends: 22 MRSA §3769-E, 22 MRSA §3790

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ,B" to H.P. 1014, L.D. 1475, Bill, "An Act To 
Reduce Child Poverty by Leveraging fuvestments in Families Today" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act Regarding Transportation and Parents as Scholars in the TANF Program' 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3769-E is enacted to read: 
§3769-E. Working Cars for Working Families Program 
There is established the Working Cars for Working Families Program, referred to in 
this section as "the program," to help families with children obtain or retain sustainable 
employment by providing them with access to reliable, affordable transportation. The 
program provides eligible families, as determined under subsection 4, with loans to 
purchase vehicles or with donated vehicles as described in subsection 7. 
1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise indicates, the 
following terms have the following meanings. 
A. "Enrollment period" means the 3-year period following the date an individual has 
been approved for program participation. If an individual's participation in the 
program is terminated by the department before the end of the 3-year period, the 
enrollment period ends on the date the department terminates the individual's 
participation in the program. 
B. "Pilot period" means fiscal years 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21. 
2. Funding established. For fiscal years 2017-18 to 2020-21, the department shall 
use $6,000,000 in funds provided under the TANF federal block grant and accrued prior 
to fiscal year 2017-18 to fund the program. 
3. Administration. The department may contract with a private nonprofit agency or 
agencies to administer the program established by this section in fiscal years 2017-18 to 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
\\, ~ ,. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT :_B,, to H.P. 1014, L.D. 1475 
2020-21. The agency or i:!-gencies must provide services to eligible families statewide and 
have demonstrated capacity to work with low-income families and provide case 
management assistance. Nothing in this section may be construed to mean that the 
department, or any agency delivering program services under contract with the 
department, is required to obligate or expend any funds beyond existing funds available 
to them under this section. 
4. Eligibility requirements. Within the limits of available program resources, an 
individual is eligible for services under this program as determined by the department if 
the individual's family: 
A. Includes a minor child or children living in the household; 
B. Has income that is less than 200% of the federal poverty guidelines; 
C. Is engaged in employment, or is participating in a training or education program 
directly leading to employment, including but not limited to the Parents as Scholars 
Program established pursuant to section 3 790, the Competitive Skills Scholarship 
Program established pursuant to Title 26, section 2033 or any program approved by a 
career center administered by the Department of Labor; 
D. 
Would have improved access to sustainable employment or preparation for 
employment as a result of program participation; 
E. Has the financial ability or necessary resources available to insure and maintain a 
vehicle, including resources that may be available through the ASPIRE-T ANF 
Program under section 3782-A or alternative aid under section 3763; and 
F. Agrees to participate in a case management program under subsection 8 designed 
to improve understanding of the responsibilities of car ownership as a condition of 
program eligibility. 
5. Application; decision; appeal. The department shall give an individual the 
opportunity to make a written application for the program and the individual must be 
given a prompt written decision in response to that application. Any decision related to 
eligibility for the program under this section must include notice that the decision may be 
appealed by the individual through a request for a hearing within 3 0 days of receipt of the 
decision in accordance with rules adopted by the department. The 30-day appeal period 
may be extended if the claimant can show good cause for failing to appeal within the 
30-day period. 
6. Vehicles provided. Under the program, the agency or agencies administering the 
program shall obtain reliable vehicles and provide them to eligible individuals. The 
amount of any payment by an individual must be established using a sliding scale, which 
may include down payment assistance, designed to ensure affordability and the greatest 
likelihood of successful program participation. The sliding scale must provide that no 
monthly payment for a program vehicle is due, nor does one accrue, from any individual 
whose family income is at or below 100% of the federal poverty guidelines. 
7. Program vehicles; reliability. All vehicles donated or subject to loans under this 
program must be assessed prior to acceptance into the program to determine that they are 
sufficiently reliable to ensure, to the greatest extent feasible, a family's successful 
participation in the program. A program administrator shall have the option of repairing 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITIEE AMENDMENTJ" to H.P. 1014, L.D. 1475 
or selling any vehicle that does not meet the standard of reliability established for 
acceptance into the program. Any proceeds from such sale must be reinvested in the 
program. 
8. Case management services. Agencies administering the program must provide 
case management services to patiicipating individuals to ensure that they will have 
information about the basic responsibilities of car ownership and the support necessary to 
participate successfully in the program. 
9. Registration, insurance and repairs. Agencies administering the program shall 
use 10% of funds provided by the department to establish a reserve fund for emergencies 
related to repairs or other necessary costs essential for maintaining a vehicle for eligible 
participants. 
10. Participant savings account. A participant in the program must designate 15% 
of the participant's monthly loan payment for deposit in a separate identifiable account 
that may be used during the period of enrollment only for program vehicle repairs, 
insurance or registration costs for a program vehicle or other transportation-related 
purposes. The participant's payment must be matched by the program administrator with 
funds available to the program. Any balance available in such an account at the end of 
the participant's enrollment period must be provided to the program patiicipant. 
11. Obligated funds carried over beyond pilot period. Any funds provided under 
this section may be carried forward beyond the pilot period to continue to provide 
program services to an eligible patiicipant for the duration of that participant's enrollment 
period as long as those funds were obligated prior to the expiration of the pilot period. 
12. Program evaluation. The department shall submit a report by January 15, 2022 
to the joint standing committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over human services 
matters evaluating the program. The report must include: 
A. The number of families and individuals participating in the program for each year 
of the pilot period, indicating the number receiving a donated vehicle and those who 
participated through a loan agreement; 
B. 
The number of participants engaged in employment or participating in an 
education or training program at the time the participants entered the program; 
C. 
The number and percentage of participants that successfully completed an 
education or training program while participating in the program; 
D. 
The number and percentage of participants that were continuously employed 
throughout the participants' period of participation; 
E. The number and percentage of participants who experienced an increase in wages 
or hours of employment throughout their period of enrollment; 
F. The number and percentage of participants that defaulted on a loan and were 
terminated from the program as a result; and 
G. The number and percentage of participants that left the program prior to the end 
of the participants' enrollment period. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
I\. ot s. 
COMMITIEE AMENDMENT],, to H.P. 1014, L.D. 1475 
After reviewing the evaluation, the committee may introduce legislation, including 
emergency legislation, to continue or modify the program established under this section. 
13. Rulemaking. The department shall adopt rules to implement this section. Rules 
adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, 
chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. 
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §3790, sub-§8 is enacted to read: 
8. Promotion of the program. The department shall take steps to ensure that the 
program is appropriately promoted to eligible individuals who would benefit from 
participating in the program with the goal of increasing enrollment to the maximum 
extent allowed under this section. The department shall post information on publicly 
accessible websites relating to TANF assistance and develop materials to be distributed at 
departmental offices. 
The department shall also ensure that any contracted agency 
providing employment, case management or educational services to TANF participants 
appropriately promotes the program. 
Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. 
The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF (FORMERLY DHS) 
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 0138 
Initiative: Provides an allocation to establish the Working Cars for Working Families 
Program. 
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND 
All Other 
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND TOT AL 
SUMMARY 
2017-18 
$1,500,000 
$1,500,000 
2018-19 
$1,500,000 
$1,500,000 
This amendment, which is a minority report of the committee, removes everything 
from the bill except the pilot program that provides access to reliable transportation for 
working low-income families with children or those engaged in a training program 
directly leading to employment. 
Funding for the pilot program is decreased to 
$6,000,000 rather than the $10,000,000 in the bill. The amendment also requires the 
Department of Health and Human Services to promote the Parents as Scholars Program. 
The amendment adds an appropriations and allocations section. 
· 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 05/25/17 fea<:.. 
LD 1475 
LR 1316(03) 
An Act To Reduce Child Poverty by Leveraging Investments in Families Today 
,\ 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment~ ci-1-4D ~ 
Committee: Health and Human Services 
Appropriations/ Allocations 
Federal Block Grant Fund 
Revenue 
Federal Block Grant Fund 
Fiscal Detail and Notes 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2017-18 
FY 2018-19 
$1,500,000 
$1,500,000 
$1,500,000 
$1,500,000 
Projections 
FY2019-20 
$1,500,000 
$1,500,000 
Projections 
FY2020-21 
$1,500,000 
$1,500,000 
The bill includes Federal Block Grant Fund allocations to the Depa1tment of Health and Human Services of 
$1,500,000 beginning in fiscal year 2017-18 to establish the Working Cars for Working Families Program. 
LR1316(03) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1