Quick update regarding General Assistance bills we’ve been following, as well as call your attention to the opportunity to testify on a General Assistance bill which has been scheduled for a public hearing.
LD 453, An Act to Require the State to Pay 90 Percent of All General Assistance Expenses of Municipalities and Indian Tribes: This bill, which would increase GA reimbursement to 90%, was voted Ought Not to Pass at yesterday’s Work Session due to the Committee’s interest in seeing through LD 978 (see the Action Alert below for more information).
LD 1029, An Act to Ensure General Assistance for Housing Does Not Reduce Assistance for Other Basic Necessities and to Increase Presumptive Eligibility and State Reimbursement for General Assistance: The Work Session for the Policy Committee’s GA bill was Tabled as the Committee wanted to hear it alongside LD 978 on Monday.
LD 978, An Act to Increase General Assistance Reimbursement for Municipalities and Indian Tribes: This would increase the GA reimbursement rate to 90% immediately for most municipalities, and incrementally over the next five years for the six municipalities receiving the highest amount of state reimbursement
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.
Talking Points:
- Talking points for LD 1029, which speak to the need to increase GA reimbursement to 90%, are attached.
- LD 978 and 1029 could support one another in a mutually beneficial way. It is important to increase GA reimbursement to 90% as LD 978 would do, but LD 1029 includes additional initiatives, including the critical piece that would increase the period of presumptive eligibility. This would allow shelters to effectively bill General Assistance for emergency shelter overnights. It may be helpful to mention this in your testimony for LD 978.
The Public Hearing is being held Monday, 4/28 at 1:00pm in front of the Health and Human Services Committee, and written testimony can be submitted online.
To submit testimony, click this link: https://www.mainelegislature.org/testimony/
- Click on Public Hearing, then choose the Committee and then the date of the hearing: Health and Human Services, 4/28/25 at 1:00 PM
- Choose the LD# you are looking for: LD 978
- You can upload a file or type your testimony in the open box. Once you have provided the rest of the requested information you will check the box next to “I’m not a robot” and finally click the Submit/Register button.
On behalf of the Maine Homeless Policy Committee, thank you for taking action. Cullen