Maine: Maine Beverage Association

AUGUSTA, Maine — Public testimony on bills aimed at reforming Maine’s welfare system, placing further restrictions on public smoking, and prohibiting the purchase of soda and snack foods with food stamps kept the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee busy Tuesday afternoon.

Two Republican-sponsored bills seek to restrict Maine’s public assistance programs, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and General Assistance.

LD 254, sponsored by Rep. Richard Cebra, R-Naples, proposes a five-point reform of welfare programs. It would require a 90-day residency in Maine for general assistance, provide a new-hire tax credit for employers who hire welfare recipients, increase the required hours of participation in Maine’s welfare-to-work program, adjust benefits to reflect earned income and impose a lifetime cap of 60 months on TANF benefits.