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LePage's Welfare Reform Bill Echoes Familiar Themes

Mal Leary
/
MPBN
Gov. Paul LePage introduces his welfare reform plan, as DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew looks on.

AUGUSTA, Maine - Gov. Paul LePage is renewing his push to reform the state's welfare system with some of the same proposals that have previously failed to win support in the Maine Legislature.

But if the governor and lawmakers start comparing notes, they might find some common ground that will result in a welfare reform package most can support. Many of the provisions included in the governor's latest welfare package are mirrored in bills proposed by lawmakers of both parties.

For example, Gov. LePage wants to prevent the use of benefit cards for the purchase of alcohol, tobacco products, lottery tickets and bail. "With the changes we are proposing, we can create the kind of accountability the system needs for success," he said.

The governor says his bill will also limit out-of-state use of benefit cards and require applicants for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to apply for three jobs before getting benefits.

All of the parts of the governor’s bill have been separately introduced by individual lawmakers, including some Democrats. For example, a bill to curtail use of TANF benefits has been introduced by House Majority Leader Jeff McCabe, a Democrat from Skowhegan.

McCabe says if the governor will sit down and work with Democrats, some true reforms can be accomplished. "For Democrats, we really want to see what is actually in these bills, because what is said at a press conference and what is actually in bills are sometimes two different things."

And from the governor’s comments, a significant change to TANF - developing a tiered system so recipients don’t lose all benefits when they start working - is something he supports. It has not been printed. "We are going to be proposing a program to do exactly that," he said. "I am a big, big supporter of having a tiered program. I introduced a tiered program and it was defeated by the Legislature."

Rep. Drew Gattine, a Democrat from Westbrook, co-chairs the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee and is encouraged by what he's hearing from the governor. Gattine is proposing legislation that would provide for a gradual reduction in TANF benefits as a person moves from welfare to work.

Gattine says Democrats want to find a way to help people. "We can’t really just say, 'Oh, go into a low-wage or minimum-wage job and then you are on your own.' I think real welfare reform really needs to focus on helping people move out in a sustainable way."

But while Democrats are supportive of some ideas put forth by the governor and Republicans, Gattine says some proposals won’t work, like banning use of Maine Electronic Benefit Cards, or EBTs, out of state. He says the goal should not be to make the lives of the poor all the more difficult. "We really need to look at the issue of welfare as more of an economic issue, as opposed to a public benefits issue."

Gattine is optimistic his committee can craft a compromise that puts some limits on benefits, such as not allowing them to be used for tobacco or booze, and focus more on job training so that those on TANF can transition from welfare to work.

But, he says, both parties and the governor will need to sit down and work out a bill that can pass both the Democratic House and the Republican Senate.
 

Journalist Mal Leary spearheads Maine Public's news coverage of politics and government and is based at the State House.