CHAPTER 480

S.P. 663 - L.D. 1746

An Act To Amend Certain Requirements in the

ASPIRE-TANF Program

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3788, sub-§10, śC, as amended by PL 1997, c. 530, Pt. A, §26, is further amended to read:

C. Education Except for participants who are accepted into the Parents as Scholars Program established under section 3790, education, training and treatment is limited to a maximum of 24 months, starting with the first day of participation in any allowable and approved job skills or occupational skills training activity. The 24-month period may be extended by the commissioner or the designee of the commissioner for good cause shown.

The department may approve a job skills or occupational training activity longer than 24 months provided the participant agrees to perform a minimum of 20 hours a week of work site experience by no later than the end of the 24- month period. Qualifying work site experience may include, but is not limited to, paid employment, workforce- MaineServe, ASPIRE-Plus, work study, training-related practicums or any other such work site approved by the department. The 24-month period does not include periods of nonactivity in which good cause has been determined.

For individuals who are satisfactorily participating in an education or training program prior to the work evaluation, the department must determine the acceptability of the