An Act To Reduce Child Poverty by Leveraging Investments so Families Can Thrive
Maine Legislature, Session 129, LD 1774
Committee Amendment CA_A_H605 (House)

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A'' to H.P. 1261, L.D. 1774, Bill, "An Act To 
Reduce Child Poverty by Leveraging Investments so Families Can Thrive" 
Amend the bill in section 1 in §3109 in the first paragraph by striking out all of the 
last sentence (page 1, lines 9 to 11 in L.D.) 
Amend the bill in section 1 in § 3109 in subsection 2 by striking out all of the first 6 
lines (page 1, lines 21 to 26 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'2. Identify measures of child and family economic security. Beginning October 
15, 2019 and annually thereafter, the department shall obtain and compile the following 
data for the State regarding child and family economic security from those sources 
reasonably available to the department, including, but not limited to, data collected and 
maintained by the department, data available from the Department of Labor and the 
Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Revenue Services or 
other state or federal agencies and such other data as can reasonably be obtained from 
other public or private sources upon request. The data must include:' 
Amend the bill in section 1 in §3109 in subsection 2 in paragraph D by inserting after 
subparagraph (1) the following: 
'(2) 
The number and percentage of families with quarterly earnings from 
unsubsidized employment that are below 50% of the federal poverty level: 
(a) At the time participation in the program was terminated; 
(b) During the 2nd quarter after participation in the program was terminated; 
and 
(c) During the 4th quarter after participation in the program was terminated;' 
Amend the bill in section 1 in §3109 in subsection 2 in paragraph D by renumbering 
the subparagraphs to read numerically. 
Amend the bill in section 1 in §3109 in subsection 2 by striking out all of paragraph F 
(page 3, lines 12 to 16 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
\\. c\ ~. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT .. ,4,, to H.P. 1261, L.D. 1774 
'F. The ratio of persons receiving food supplement assistance to the total number of 
potentially eligible persons: the ratio of persons 60 years of age or older receiving 
food supplement assistance to the total number of potentially eligible persons 60 
years of age or older: the ratio of nonelderly persons with a disability receiving food 
supplement assistance to the total number of potentially eligible nonelderly persons 
with a disability: and the ratio of children under 18 years of age receiving food 
supplement assistance to the total number of potentially eligible children under 18 
years of age:' 
Amend the bill in section 1 in §3109 in subsection 2 by striking out all of paragraphs 
J and K (page 3, lines 28 to 31 in L.D.) and inserting the following: 
'J. The average waiting times, by month, for a person calling the department's call 
center to speak to a person, not including an interactive voice response system: and 
K. The number and percentage, by month, of telephone calls to the department's call 
center that are terminated by a caller prior to the caller's speaking to a person, not 
including an interactive voice response system.' 
Amend the bill in section 1 in §3109 by striking out all of subsections 3 and 4 and 
inserting the following: 
13. Measuring the effect of department initiatives to improve child and family 
economic security; report. The department shall examine and use the data related to 
program measures compiled pursuant to subsection 2 and consider how department 
programming can contribute to improvements in child and family economic security, 
including increased ability to meet basic needs, improved educational levels and 
increased incomes. Beginning January 15, 2021, and annually thereafter, the department 
shall present the data collected pursuant to subsection 2 along with an assessment of how 
these measures can be improved through department programming to the joint standing 
committee of the Legislature having jurisdiction over health and human services matters 
for the committee's review. 
The department shall also identify any obstacles to 
improving the economic security for children, families and individuals and make 
recommendations for addressing those obstacles, which may include improved 
coordination between agencies of State Government. 
The committee's review must 
include the opportunity for public comment on the department's presentation and the 
committee may introduce any legislation that it considers necessary to address barriers 
faced by the department in improving economic security for children, families and 
individuals in this State.' 
Amend the bill in section 6 in subsection 3-B in the 6th line from the end (page 11, 
line 20 in L.D.) by striking out the following: 
11$500,000
and inserting the following: 
1$250,000' 
Amend the bill by adding after section 8 the following: 
'Sec. 9. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are made. 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF 
Additional Support for People in Retraining and Employment 0146 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
adS. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT" p" to H.P. 1261, L.D. 1774 
Initiative: Provides allocations for expected additional participants in the Additional 
Support for People in Retraining and Employment program. 
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND 
All Other 
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND TOTAL 
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 0138 
2019-20 
$3,010,368 
$3,010,368 
2020-21 
$4,013,824 
$4,013,824 
Initiative: Provides allocations for campus-based student support and navigation. 
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND 
All Other 
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND TOTAL 
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 0138 
2019-20 
$187,500 
$187,500 
Initiative: Provides allocations due to the elimination of the gross income test. 
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND 
All Other 
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND TOTAL 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, 
DEPARTMENT OF 
DEPARTMENT TOTALS 
FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND 
DEPARTMENT TOTAL-ALL FUNDS 
2019-20 
$575,060 
$575,060 
2019-20 
$3,772,928 
$3,772,928 
2020-21 
$250,000 
$250,000 
2020-21 
$766,746 
$766,746 
2020-21 
$5,030,570 
$5,030,570 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or 
section number to read consecutively. 
SUMMARY 
This amendment makes the following changes to the bill. 
1. It removes the requirement for the Department of Health and Human Services to 
establish annual improvement targets to ensure access to public assistance programs. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
i\. d s. 
COMMITTEEAMENDMENT"A"toH.P.1261,L.D.1774 
2. It clarifies that sources of information to compile data measures of child and 
family economic security are not limited to the data sources in the bill and specifies that 
data from other state agencies including the Department of Labor and the Department of 
Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Revenue Services must be compiled. 
3. It includes a data requirement that includes families earning below 50% of the 
federal poverty level at the time participation in the Temporary Assistance for Needy 
Families program was terminated and during the 2nd and 4th quarters after participation 
was terminated. 
4. It clarifies the language regarding the ratio of persons receiving food supplement 
assistance to those eligible to specify that the ratio applies to the number of persons 
overall, the number of persons 60 years of age and older, nonelderly persons with a 
disability and children under 18 years of age. 
5. It specifies that data collected regarding waiting times for calls to Department of 
Health and Human Services call centers are to a person and not to an interactive voice 
response system. 
6. It changes the requirements of the Department of Health and Human Services to 
measure and report on the effect of departmental initiatives to improve child and family 
economic security rather than establishing improvement targets with reporting 
requirements. 
7. It changes the amount of funding for navigators at educational institutions and 
programs from $500,000 to $250,000. 
The amendment also adds an appropriations and allocations section. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 06/13/19 feae!. 
LD 1774 
LR35(02) 
An Act To Reduce Child Poverty by Leveraging Investments so Families Can Thrive 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment /J,(/1 -i,os} 
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 2019-20 
FY2020-21 
$3,772,928 
$5,030,570 
$3,772,928 
$5,030,570 
Projections 
FY 2021-22 
$5,030,570 
$5,030,570 
Projections 
FY2022-23 
$5,030,570 
$5,030,570 
This bill includes Federal Block Grant Fund allocations to the Department of Health and Human Services of 
$3,772,928 in fiscal year 2019-20 and $5,030,570 in fiscal year 2020-21 for expected additional participants in the 
Additional Support for People in Retraining and Employment program, the elimination of the gross income test and 
campus-based student support and navigation. 
LR0035(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1