An Act To Build Accountability into the General Assistance Laws

Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §4308, sub-§1,  as amended by PL 1993, c. 410, Pt. AAA, §6, is further amended to read:

Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §4308, sub-§2, ¶A,  as enacted by PL 1985, c. 489, §§5 and 14, is amended to read:

Sec. 3. 22 MRSA §4317, 3rd ¶,  as amended by PL 1993, c. 410, Pt. AAA, §11, is further amended to read:

An applicant who refuses to utilize potential resources without just cause, after receiving a written 7-day notice, is disqualified from receiving assistance until the applicant has made a good faith effort to secure the resource. It is the responsibility of the applicant to establish the presence of just cause.

Sec. 4. 22 MRSA §4317, 4th ¶,  as amended by PL 1993, c. 410, Pt. AAA, §11, is repealed.

Sec. 5. 22 MRSA §4317-A  is enacted to read:

§ 4317-A.  Use of available resources

An applicant who abandons or refuses to use an available resource without just cause is not eligible to receive general assistance to replace the abandoned or refused resource for a period of 120 days. A resource is considered abandoned if the applicant without just cause voluntarily terminates receipt of an available resource. Available resources include but are not limited to any private, local, regional or county-based assistance, state or federal assistance, housing, employment, unemployment benefits or food assistance program that the applicant is receiving or immediately eligible to receive. Available resources also include services, commodities or facilities made available by private organizations when the services, commodities or facilities are available and offered at no cost to the applicant.

An applicant who forfeits receipt of or causes reduction in benefits from an available resource because of fraud, misrepresentation or a knowing or intentional violation of available resource rules, or a refusal to comply with available resource rules without just cause, is not eligible to receive general assistance to replace the forfeited benefits for either the duration of the forfeiture or 120 days, whichever is greater. It is the responsibility of the applicant to establish the presence of just cause.

summary

This bill makes both initial and repeat applicants for general assistance who voluntarily abandon government or private resources without just cause ineligible to receive general assistance to replace the abandoned assistance for a period of 120 days from the date the applicant abandons the resource. The bill also makes an applicant who forfeits government or private resources due to fraud, misrepresentation or intentional violation or refusal to comply with program rules without just cause ineligible to receive general assistance to replace the forfeited assistance for the duration of the forfeiture or 120 days, whichever is greater. Current law provides that an applicant who forfeits government resources is ineligible to receive general assistance for the duration of the forfeiture.