SP0510, LD 1416, item 1, An Act Regarding Responsibility of General Assistance for a Person Who Is Released from Prison

An Act Regarding Responsibility of General Assistance for a Person Who Is Released from Prison

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

Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §4307, sub-§4, as corrected by RR 2009, c. 2, §58, is amended to read:

4. Special circumstances. Overseers of a municipality may not move or transport an applicant or recipient into another municipality to relieve their municipality of responsibility for that applicant's or recipient's support. The municipality of responsibility for relocations , persons released from correctional facilities and institutional settings is as follows.

A. When an applicant or recipient requests relocation to another municipality and the overseers of a municipality assist that person to relocate to another municipality, the municipality from which that person is moving continues to be responsible for the support of the recipient for 30 days after relocation. As used in this paragraph, "assist" includes:

(1) Granting financial assistance to relocate; and

(2) Making arrangements for a person to relocate.

B. If an applicant is in a group home, shelter, rehabilitation center, nursing home, hospital or other institution at the time of application and has either been in that institution for 6 months or less, or had a residence immediately prior to entering the institution which the applicant had maintained and to which the applicant intends to return, the municipality of responsibility is the municipality where the applicant was a resident immediately prior to entering the institution. For the purpose of this paragraph, a hotel, motel or similar place of temporary lodging is considered an institution when a municipality:

(1) Grants financial assistance for a person to move to or stay in temporary lodging;

(2) Makes arrangements for a person to stay in temporary lodging;

(3) Advises or encourages a person to stay in temporary lodging; or

(4) Illegally denies housing assistance and, as a result of that denial, the person stays in temporary lodging.

C. If an applicant has been released from a correctional facility within 45 days of application, the municipality of responsibility for the first 12 months of payment of benefits is the municipality that was on record as the residence of the applicant when the applicant was committed to the correctional facility. A municipality of responsibility must accept an application for general assistance by telephone if the applicant is calling from another municipal office.

summary

This bill provides that if an applicant for general assistance under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, chapter 1161 has been released from a correctional facility within 45 days of application, the municipality of responsibility for the first 12 months of benefits is the municipality that was on record as the residence of the applicant when the applicant was committed to the correctional facility. The bill requires that a responsible municipality accept applications by telephone as long as the call is being made from a municipal office.

SP0510 LD 1416	Session - 126th Maine Legislature		LR 1263 Item 1
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