The Maine Wire
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Maine Wire TV
  • Podcasts
  • About
  • Contact
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending News
  • Portland Man Fatally Stabs Himself after Police Respond to Burglary Attempt
  • Nearly Half Of Homeschool Parents Cite ‘Liberal’ Public Schools As Motivating Factor: POLL
  • Offshore Wind Making Everything More Expensive, From Lobsters To Electricity: FRANK LASSEE
  • House Republicans Launch Probe into Biden Energy Secretary’s Disasterous Taxpayer-Funded EV Road Trip
  • IRS Grants Tax Extension to Feb. 15 for Mainers Affected by Hurricane Lee
  • Portland City Council to Consider $134,000 150-Bed Expansion to Homeless Shelter by Emergency Declaration
  • Dangerous Company: Sam Patten’s Memoir Is a Riveting Insight Into 25 Years of American Foreign Policy
  • New Maine CDC Director Recommends Masks and Latest COVID Booster for Everybody Ages 6 months and Older
Facebook Twitter Instagram
The Maine Wire
Login
Tuesday, September 26
  • News
  • Commentary
  • Maine Wire TV
  • Podcasts
  • About
  • Contact
The Maine Wire
Home » News » Maine Democrats scuttle GOP-backed welfare reform
News

Maine Democrats scuttle GOP-backed welfare reform

Steve RobinsonBy Steve RobinsonApril 4, 20146 Comments4 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Reddit
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

Maine EBT card

AUGUSTA – Republican efforts to reform Maine’s welfare system have likely failed this year following the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives’ rejection of four bills aimed at modifying the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash welfare program.

On nearly party line votes Thursday evening, all four TANF reform proposals supported by Republican Gov. Paul LePage were defeated. The only provision supported by Democrats was a ban on welfare spending in smoke shops — a clever political maneuver that will allow liberal representatives to claim in November that they did vote for reform.

“I’m appalled that liberal legislators would reject these common-sense bills to reform our welfare system,” the governor said Friday in a prepared statement.

“Despite overwhelming data and firsthand accounts by well-respected law enforcement officials, liberals keep saying welfare fraud and abuse is ‘anecdotal’,” he said. “Mainers are rightfully outraged their hard-earned tax dollars are being abused, and they know these liberals are out of touch with reality.”

The four bills constituted a comprehensive set of TANF reforms that would have limited how welfare cash can be spent, where it can be spent, and strengthened parts of the program that encourage welfare recipients to find employment.

Two bills, originally introduced by House Minority Leader Ken Fredette (R-Newport), would have implemented a frontend job search requirement and eliminated statutory exemptions that allow welfare recipients to avoid work searches.

In practice, the frontend job search bill would have required welfare seekers to apply for three jobs before obtaining benefits. The second of Fredette’s bills, which was developed in concert with Department of Health and Human Services staff, would have eliminated exemptions that welfare recipients can use to skip out of work searches for almost any reason.

Two proposals that came from the governor would have prevented welfare recipients from using their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards outside of Maine and blocked purchases of prohibited goods, such as alcohol, tobacco, and lottery tickets.

An initial sticking point with Democrats was a portion of the governor’s bill that eliminated the Parents as Scholars (PAS) program, which provides a host of benefits to poor parents while they attend school. In response to Democratic complaints at the bills’ public hearing, Fredette offered compromise legislation that combined all four proposals but kept the PAS program intact. But only nine Democrats supported the compromise effort – six shy of the total needed for passage.

One part of welfare reform Democrats did support was an amendment to the governor’s L.D. 1822 that added “smoke shops” to the list of places where EBT cards cannot be used.

“No one wants to see funds meant for struggling families spent at smoke shops or liquor stores,” said House Speaker Mark Eves (D-North Berwick). “That’s why we are expanding the ban and calling on the LePage administration to enforce the current law.”

According to House Democrats, current law already prohibits the use of EBT cards at liquor stores, casinos, and strip clubs.

However, data provided by DHHS to The Maine Wire and multiple other media outlets contradicts Democrats’ claims about the current ban. According to that data, cash welfare was accessed as recently as last year at strip clubs in Portland (200 Riverside Street) and Bangor (190 Harlow Street). The data also shows hundreds of transactions at liquor stores in 2013, after the alleged ban would have taken effect.

If, as Eves and other Democrats have claimed, transactions at strip clubs and liquor stores are already banned, then clearly the ban is not working.

Should the proposals the Democrats supported become law, TANF recipients will still be able to access welfare cash all across the country, such as at Disney World and other amusement parks. The passed legislation also does nothing to prevent non-residents from continuing to collect benefits. But Democrats’ ostensible support for a limited welfare reform provision may help limit the damage in the November elections, as welfare is sure to be a top campaign theme.

Fredette reacted with disappoint to the rejection of his proposed compromise.

“The Democrats have proven over and over that they’re simply not interested in reforming Maine’s broken welfare system,” he said. “That’s a shame because every welfare dollar spent at a liquor store or a Las Vegas casino is a dollar stolen from a hungry child or a hardworking taxpayer. I wish every Mainer could have witnessed the floor debates on these bills because they showed just how out of touch liberal politicians really are and how far they will go to make excuses for the welfare system they have created.”

The welfare reform bills now head to the Senate.

Republicans gathered at the State House Friday to urge their Democratic colleagues to support welfare reform.

Steve Robinson
Editor, Maine Wire

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Welfare Reform
Previous ArticleMaine man reflects on Navy service off coast of Western Africa
Next Article Rand Paul to speak at Maine GOP convention
Steve Robinson
  • Twitter

Steve Robinson is the Editor-in-Chief of The Maine Wire. ‪He can be reached by email at Robinson@TheMaineWire.com.

Related Posts

Portland Man Fatally Stabs Himself after Police Respond to Burglary Attempt

September 26, 2023

Nearly Half Of Homeschool Parents Cite ‘Liberal’ Public Schools As Motivating Factor: POLL

September 26, 2023

Offshore Wind Making Everything More Expensive, From Lobsters To Electricity: FRANK LASSEE

September 26, 2023

6 Comments

  1. Ian Alley on April 5, 2014 12:21 PM

    Its “our” money “taxpayers” money not any party of Government we want reform!

  2. Scott Hall on April 6, 2014 9:06 AM

    The governor expanded the size of Maine government by $700,000 by adding 8 new fraud investigators to the Attorney General’s Office, yet not one case has been brought up on TANF fraud. If he’s a ‘Governor with Business cred’ how come he is not bragging about his ROI on that $700k?? Could he please bring forward a real, actual case of welfare fraud?

  3. borsa celine boston prezzo on October 3, 2014 6:36 AM

    La borsa del trapezio di Celine sarà assolutamente far apparire il meglio di te e ti fanno apparire ammirevole e bellissima

  4. spy bag fendi on October 5, 2014 6:10 AM

    Caught on hop

  5. Sebrina Wollenberg on October 5, 2014 12:41 PM

    jooouli

  6. Pam Maus on May 30, 2015 9:52 AM

    What would help me is if the name calling stopped. If the Gov. LePage wants to engage me in problem solving, I suggest that his FB posts start with something else other an “Liberals (fill in the blank)” The content that follows always slamming liberals is just patently untrue. As a person who uses my brain rather that succomb to labels, I would prefer if the Governor demonstrated just even a bit of respect for those who don’t buy his programs. Truth is, I like some of what is included, but take it personally when his defenses come with slathering liberals with such disdain. The irony is that Olympia Snowe, husband of his “hand up”, is one of the politicians I most admire because of her search for common ground and just plain decent behavior when she is in disagreement. Is that really asking too much?

Leave A Reply

Recent News

Portland Man Fatally Stabs Himself after Police Respond to Burglary Attempt

September 26, 2023

Nearly Half Of Homeschool Parents Cite ‘Liberal’ Public Schools As Motivating Factor: POLL

September 26, 2023

House Republicans Launch Probe into Biden Energy Secretary’s Disasterous Taxpayer-Funded EV Road Trip

September 26, 2023

IRS Grants Tax Extension to Feb. 15 for Mainers Affected by Hurricane Lee

September 26, 2023

Portland City Council to Consider $134,000 150-Bed Expansion to Homeless Shelter by Emergency Declaration

September 26, 2023
Newsletter

News

  • News
  • Campaigns & Elections
  • Opinion & Commentary
  • Media Watch
  • Education
  • Media

Maine Wire

  • About the Maine Wire
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Commentary
  • Complaints
  • Maine Policy Institute

Resources

  • Maine Legislature
  • Legislation Finder
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Maine Wire TV

Facebook Twitter Instagram Steam RSS
  • Post Office Box 7829, Portland, Maine 04112

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Sign In or Register

Welcome Back!

Login below or Register Now.

Lost password?

Register Now!

Already registered? Login.

A password will be e-mailed to you.