AUGUSTA (AP) — A new welfare law aiming to restore credibility in Maine’s administration of federal benefits comes into effect Friday.
The law, which passed with bipartisan support, sets penalties for individuals who spend cash welfare benefits on alcohol, tobacco, lottery tickets, bail, firearms, vacations, adult entertainment and tattoos.
In 2014, Republican Gov. Paul LePage released a similar proposal that Republicans said would deter misuse. Democrats at the time agreed with the concept but called the measure unenforceable.
The compromise law suspends first-time offenders’ benefits for three months.
The law tasks a state working group with studying how to block EBT cards from buying prohibited items in the first place. Other laws coming into effect Friday include an interest-free student loan program for eligible students and several laws targeting the opioid crisis.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.