AUGUSTA, Maine - The top Democrat in the Maine Senate says passage of a bill is needed to improve administration of federal rules so the state's hungry children and seniors can get access to food.
Sen. Justin Alfond of Portland says the goal of his bill is to simplify the administration of the federal Child and Adult Care Food Program in Maine. The program provides money for day cares, emergency shelters and other facilities to use to provide food.
Alfond says the application for the program is unnecessarily burdensome and confusing. He says it should be streamlined and available online.
Several groups testified in favor of the bill on Thursday during a public hearing. The Maine Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee is holding a work session on the bill on March 1.