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132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
FIRST REGULAR SESSION-2025
Legislative Document No. 978H.P. 638House of Representatives, March 11, 2025
An Act to Increase General Assistance Reimbursement for
Municipalities and Indian Tribes
Received by the Clerk of the House on March 7, 2025. Referred to the Committee on
Health and Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint
Rule 401.
ROBERT B. HUNT
Clerk
Presented by Representative ZAGER of Portland.
Cosponsored by Senator MOORE of Washington and
Representative: ARATA of New Gloucester, Senator: TALBOT ROSS of Cumberland. Page 1 - 132LR1745(01)
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2 as amended by PL 2015, c. 267, Pt. SSSS, §1, is
3 further amended to read:
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5 costs in any fiscal year prior to July 1, 2015 in excess of .0003 of that municipality's most
6 recent state valuation relative to the state fiscal year for which reimbursement is being
7 issued, as determined by the State Tax Assessor in the statement filed as provided in Title
8 36, section 381, the Department of Health and Human Services shall reimburse the
9 municipality for 90% of the amount in excess of these expenditures when the department
10 finds that the municipality has been in compliance with all requirements of this chapter. If
11 a municipality elects to determine need without consideration of funds distributed from any
12 municipally-controlled municipally controlled trust fund that must otherwise be considered
13 for purposes of this chapter, the department shall reimburse the municipality for 66 2/3%
14 of the amount in excess of such expenditures when the department finds that the
15 municipality has otherwise been in compliance with all requirements of this chapter.
16 The department shall reimburse each municipality and each Indian tribe 70% of the direct
17 costs incurred by that municipality or tribe on or after July 1, 2015 and before July 1, 2026
18 for the general assistance program granted by that municipality or tribe. For the purposes
19 of this subsection, "Indian tribe" has the same meaning as in section 411, subsection 8‑A.
20 Beginning July 1, 2026, the department shall reimburse each municipality and Indian tribe
21 as follows:
22 A. For the 6 municipalities or Indian tribes receiving the highest amount of state
23 reimbursement for the period beginning July 1, 2021 and ending June 30, 2025:
24 (1) Beginning July 1, 2026, the department shall reimburse each municipality and
25 each Indian tribe 75% of the direct costs incurred by that municipality or tribe for
26 costs incurred on or after July 1, 2026 and before July 1, 2028;
27 (2) Beginning July 1, 2028, the department shall reimburse each municipality and
28 each Indian tribe 80% of the direct costs incurred by that municipality or tribe for
29 costs incurred on or after July 1, 2028 and before July 1, 2030; and
30 (3) Beginning July 1, 2030, the department shall reimburse each municipality and
31 each Indian tribe 90% of the direct costs incurred by that municipality or tribe for
32 costs incurred on or after July 1, 2030; and
33 B. For all other municipalities and Indian tribes, beginning July 1, 2026, the
34 department shall reimburse each municipality and each Indian tribe 90% of the direct
35 costs incurred by that municipality or tribe for costs incurred on or after July 1, 2026.
36 For the purposes of this subsection, "Indian tribe" or "tribe" has the same meaning as in
37 section 411, subsection 8‑A.
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39 This bill increases, from 70% to 90%, the amount of state reimbursement for the costs
40 of general assistance incurred by each municipality and Indian tribe. The bill incrementally
41 increases state reimbursement, reaching 90% of the direct costs incurred by that
42 municipality or tribe by July 1, 2030, for the 6 municipalities or Indian tribes receiving the
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43 highest amount of state reimbursement for the period beginning July 1, 2021 and ending
44 June 30, 2025. For other municipalities and tribes, it increases state reimbursement to 90%
45 of the direct costs incurred by that municipality or tribe for costs incurred on or after July
46 1, 2026.
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