An Act to Ensure General Assistance for Housing Does Not Reduce
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1029
Sponsors: TALBOT ROSS, GATTINE
Amends: 22 MRSA §4308, 22 MRSA §4309, 22 MRSA §4311

Legislative Document
No. 1029
S.P. 447
In Senate, March 13, 2025
An Act to Ensure General Assistance for Housing Does Not Reduce 
Assistance for Other Basic Necessities and to Increase Presumptive 
Eligibility and State Reimbursement for General Assistance
Received by the Secretary of the Senate on March 12, 2025.  Referred to the Committee on 
Health and Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed.
DAREK M. GRANT
Secretary of the Senate
Presented by Senator TALBOT ROSS of Cumberland.
Cosponsored by Representative GATTINE of Westbrook and
Senators: CURRY of Waldo, ROTUNDO of Androscoggin, TIPPING of Penobscot, 
Representatives: DEBRITO of Waterville, GERE of Kennebunkport, GRAHAM of North 
Yarmouth, RANA of Bangor, ZAGER of Portland.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §4308, sub-§1-C is enacted to read:
1-C.  Housing assistance not to reduce assistance for other basic necessities.  
Housing assistance provided under this chapter may not reduce the maximum assistance 
level for other basic necessities for which a person or household is eligible to ensure that 
the person's or household's basic necessities are adequately met. The total maximum 
assistance level for a person or household must sufficiently account for housing assistance 
while providing adequate eligibility for other basic necessities.
Sec. 2.  22 MRSA §4309, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2019, c. 515, §3, is amended to 
read:
5.  Presumptive eligibility.  The overseer in a municipality shall presume eligibility 
to receive general assistance of a person who is provided shelter in an emergency shelter 
for the homeless located in that municipality.  After 30 180 days, that person's eligibility 
must be redetermined.  When presumptive eligibility is determined under this subsection, 
no other municipality may be determined to be the municipality of responsibility during 
that 30-day 180-day period.
Sec. 3.  22 MRSA §4311, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2015, c. 267, Pt. SSSS, §1, is 
further amended by amending the first blocked paragraph to read:
The department shall reimburse each municipality and each Indian tribe 70% 90% of the 
direct costs incurred by that municipality or tribe on or after July 1, 2015 for the general 
assistance program granted by that municipality or tribe.  The department shall reimburse 
each municipality and each Indian tribe 100% of the direct costs incurred by that 
municipality or tribe for providing emergency shelter for the homeless.  For the purposes 
of this subsection, "Indian tribe" has the same meaning as in section 411, subsection 8‑A.
SUMMARY
This bill:
1.  Requires that the total maximum general assistance level provided to a person or 
household sufficiently account for housing assistance while providing adequate eligibility 
for other basic necessities;
2.  Increases the period of presumptive eligibility for general assistance for a person 
who is provided shelter in an emergency shelter for the homeless from 30 days to 180 days; 
and
3.  Increases from 70% to 90% the amount of state reimbursement for direct costs of 
general assistance incurred by each municipality and Indian tribe and requires the 
Department of Health and Human Services to reimburse municipalities and Indian tribes 
100% of direct costs for providing emergency shelter for the homeless.