UPDATED 7:46 AM: AUGUSTA (AP) — Republican Gov. Paul LePage plans to introduce a bill that would implement a tiered welfare system in order to eliminate the so-called “welfare cliff.”
The cliff effect is the idea that the welfare system may discourage those who want to work from taking a job or accepting a raise because they lose all their benefits once they reach a certain income threshold.
LePage’s office says his bill would increase the amount of earned income that the state disregards when it determines how much state support someone receives if that person meets the welfare work requirement. It would also set aside money for welfare recipients’ transportation costs, among other things.
LePage is expected to provide more details on the bill at the Statehouse on Tuesday.
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