Bill
Bill > LD978
ME LD978
ME LD978An Act to Increase General Assistance Reimbursement for Municipalities and Indian Tribes
summary
Introduced
03/07/2025
03/07/2025
In Committee
03/07/2025
03/07/2025
Crossed Over
06/17/2025
06/17/2025
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
Potential new amendment
132nd Legislature
Bill Summary
This bill increases, from 70% to 90%, the amount of state reimbursement for the costs of general assistance incurred by each municipality and Indian tribe. The bill incrementally increases state reimbursement, reaching 90% of the direct costs incurred by that municipality or tribe by July 1, 2030, for the 6 municipalities or Indian tribes receiving the highest amount of state reimbursement for the period beginning July 1, 2021 and ending June 30, 2025. For other municipalities and tribes, it increases state reimbursement to 90% of the direct costs incurred by that municipality or tribe for costs incurred on or after July 1, 2026.
AI Summary
This bill modifies state reimbursement for General Assistance (GA), a social welfare program that provides financial support to low-income individuals. Currently, municipalities and Indian tribes receive 70% reimbursement for direct GA costs. The bill incrementally increases state reimbursement, with a phased approach for different groups of municipalities and tribes. For the six municipalities or tribes that received the highest state reimbursement between July 2021 and June 2025, the reimbursement will increase gradually: to 75% by July 2026, 80% by July 2028, and finally reaching 90% by July 2030. For all other municipalities and tribes, the reimbursement will increase directly to 90% beginning July 2026. The bill also retains existing provisions about reimbursement for expenditures exceeding certain thresholds and provides a definition for "Indian tribe" consistent with previous legislation. This change aims to provide more financial support to local governments for social welfare programs, potentially reducing the financial burden on individual municipalities and tribes when providing assistance to residents in need.
Committee Categories
Health and Social Services
Sponsors (4)
Last Action
Voted: Divided Report (on 02/19/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/display_ps.asp?LD=978&snum=132 |
| House: C-A (H-753) | https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP0638&item=2&snum=132 |
| Fiscal Note: C-A (H-753) | https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/bills_132nd/fiscalpdfs/FN097802.pdf |
| Fiscal Note: Text | https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/bills_132nd/fiscalpdfs/FN097801.pdf |
| BillText | https://legislature.maine.gov/legis/bills/getPDF.asp?paper=HP0638&item=1&snum=132 |
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