H.P. 882 - L.D. 1199
An Act to Ensure Adequate Nutrition and Support for Low-income Legal Immigrants
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3104-A is enacted to read:
§3104-A. Food assistance for legal aliens
1. Food assistance. The department shall provide food assistance to households that would be eligible for assistance under the federal Food Stamp Act of 1977, 7 United States Code, Section 2011, et seq., but for provisions of Sections 401, 402 and 403 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.
2. Amount of assistance. The total amount of food assistance provided under this section must equal the amount that the household would be eligible to receive under the federal Food Stamp Act of 1977, 7 United States Code, Sections 2014 and 2017, if the household were eligible for that program.
3. Administration. The department shall provide assistance under this section to eligible households on a monthly basis through a system of direct mail of coupons or electronic benefit issuance. The department is authorized to negotiate with the United States Department of Agriculture to arrange for the purchase of federal food stamps or produce its own food coupons to be used by eligible households for transactions with vendors under this program.
4. Repeal. This section is repealed June 30, 1999.
Sec. 2. Appropriation. The following funds are appropriated from the General Fund to carry out the purposes of this Act.
1998-99
HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF
Bureau of Family Independence - Central
All Other $279,960
Provides one-time funds for a monthly food benefit to certain legal immigrants through June 1999.
State Supplement to Federal Supplemental Security Income
All Other (295,724)
Deappropriates funds available due to a projected fiscal year 1997-98 balance forward.
DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES ___________
TOTAL ($15,764)
Sec. 3. Effective date. This Act takes effect September 1, 1998.
Effective September 1, 1998.
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