© 2024 Maine Public | Registered 501(c)(3) EIN: 22-3171529
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Scroll down to see all available streams.

Maine Mayor Can't Find Sponsor for Welfare Online Registry

AUGUSTA, Maine - A Maine mayor's idea of creating an online registry for welfare recipients is dead for now because he couldn't find a legislative sponsor.
 
Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald approached Sen. Eric Brakey about the idea, but the GOP lawmaker declined to introduce a bill by Friday's deadline for proposed bill titles for legislation to be considered in January.
 
No one in the Republican House or Senate caucuses submitted a bill either, and Gov. Paul LePage's communications staff says he has no plans for such a bill, either.
 
Macdonald tells the Sun Journal that he's glad he started a conversation.
 
He says the idea wasn't to publicly embarrass welfare recipients, but to make the information available to the public to fight welfare fraud and abuse.