LEWISTON, Maine — A proposal by city Mayor Robert MacDonald to publish the names of people who receive public assistance online would likely not pass legal muster, according to attorneys who advocate for low-income earners.
Chris Hastedt, public policy director of Maine Equal Justice Partners, says state and federal law offers privacy protections to different assistance programs, and there are overarching constitutional protections to privacy.
"This is a very sensational proposal that grabs peoples attention," she says. "And I think the reason it grabs their attention is it's so shocking that we would see something that would so fundamentally undermine a person's right to privacy in the way this proposal does."
The Lewiston mayor's proposal must have a legislative sponsor. It comes at a time when Republicans are hoping to avoid taking welfare reform to the Legislature and instead put the issue to a referendum vote next fall.
