An Act to Require a Person to Be a United States Citizen to Receive
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 1707
Committee: Health and Human Services
Sponsors: GREENWOOD, STEWART
Amends: 5 MRSA §60, 22 MRSA §4301, 30-A MRSA §2007, 30-A MRSA §2008

Legislative Document
No. 1707
H.P. 1142
House of Representatives, April 17, 2025
An Act to Require a Person to Be a United States Citizen to Receive 
State or Local Financial Assistance and to Ensure Municipal 
Compliance with Federal Immigration Laws
Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative GREENWOOD of Wales.
Cosponsored by Senator STEWART of Aroostook and
Representatives: DRINKWATER of Milford, DUCHARME of Madison, FAULKINGHAM of 
Winter Harbor, JAVNER of Chester, RUDNICKI of Fairfield, SMITH of Palermo, 
SOBOLESKI of Phillips, THORNE of Carmel.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  5 MRSA §60 is enacted to read:
§60.  State financial assistance; United States citizenship required
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the State may not provide any 
form of financial assistance to an individual who is not a citizen of the United States.  This 
section does not apply to the provision of general purpose aid for local schools distributed 
in accordance with Title 20-A, chapter 606-B.
Sec. 2.  22 MRSA §4301, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2015, c. 324, §1, is further 
amended to read:
3.  Eligible person.  "Eligible person" means a person citizen of the United States who 
is qualified to receive general assistance from a municipality according to standards of 
eligibility determined by the municipal officers whether or not that person has applied for 
general assistance. "Eligible person" does not include a person who is a fugitive from 
justice as defined in Title 15, section 201, subsection 4.  Beginning July 1, 2015, in 
accordance with 8 United States Code, Section 1621(d), "eligible person" means a person 
who is lawfully present in the United States or who is pursuing a lawful process to apply 
for immigration relief, except that assistance for such a person may not exceed 24 months.
Sec. 3.  30-A MRSA §2007 is enacted to read:
§2007.  Ineligibility for state funds based on immigration policies
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a municipality that has in effect 
any ordinance, policy or procedure, formal or informal, in contravention of the federal 
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, Section 642, 
subsection (a) or (b) or that prohibits, formally or informally, a local law enforcement 
officer from gathering information regarding the lawful or unlawful citizenship or 
immigration status of any individual is ineligible for any form of financial assistance from 
the State, including, but not limited to, state-municipal revenue sharing pursuant to section 
5681 and funding for municipal general assistance pursuant to Title 22, chapter 1161.
Sec. 4.  30-A MRSA §2008 is enacted to read:
§2008.  Municipal assistance; United States citizenship required
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a municipality may not provide 
any form of financial assistance to an individual who is not a citizen of the United States.  
This section does not apply to the provision of general purpose aid for local schools 
distributed in accordance with Title 20-A, chapter 606-B.
SUMMARY
This bill requires an individual to be a citizen of the United States in order to receive 
any form of financial assistance from the State or a municipality, except for funding for 
general purpose aid for education.  The bill also provides that a municipality is ineligible 
to receive municipal general assistance and state-municipal revenue sharing if that 
municipality prohibits or restricts, formally or informally, the exchange of information with 
federal immigration authorities or any other federal, state or local government entity 
regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual or the 
maintenance of such information.