By Alanna Durkin, The Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Maine - Republican Gov. Paul LePage's administration plans to move forward next month with new rules requiring food stamp users to have a job and some welfare recipients to be drug tested to continue receiving benefits.
LePage, whose efforts to overhaul the state's welfare programs are playing a central role in his re-election campaign, says the state must prioritize resources for the neediest while encouraging recipients to become self-sufficient.
But advocates say the changes will hurt struggling Mainers and Democrats question whether the push to implement the policies before the November election is politically motivated.
The changes come after LePage announced that the state would cut funding for a municipal welfare program to cities and towns that give benefits to immigrants who can't prove they're living in Maine legally.