‘An Act To Ensure the Integrity of Maine's Welfare Benefits Programs’
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the summary and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §23, sub-§1-A is enacted to read:
1-A. Enforcement. Beginning January 1, 2018, a recipient of benefits from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program shall retain a receipt for every transaction the recipient makes using such benefits under the electronic benefits transfer system. The department may annually audit up to 6 months of transactions under the electronic benefits transfer system for no more than 2% of the recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. If the department determines that a transaction of a recipient was improper under state or federal law, the department shall deduct the amount of the transaction from the recipient's benefits under the electronic benefits transfer system for the month subsequent to the determination of an improper transaction.
Sec. 2. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF (FORMERLY DHS)
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 0138
Initiative: Provides allocations for 2 Eligiblity Specialist positions to perform the audits of recipients of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
| FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
|
POSITIONS - LEGISLATIVE COUNT
|
2.000 | 2.000 |
|
Personal Services
|
$65,233 | $134,276 |
|
All Other
|
$8,703 | $17,535 |
 |
|
|
| FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT FUND TOTAL | $73,936 | $151,811 |
Summary
This amendment is the minority report of the committee and replaces the bill. It requires, beginning January 1, 2018, a recipient of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, benefits to retain a receipt for every transaction the recipient makes using TANF benefits under the electronic benefits transfer system. It authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to audit up to 2% of TANF recipients for transactions occurring over periods of up to 6 months. If the department determines that a transaction of a recipient was improper under state or federal law, the department is authorized to deduct the amount of the transaction from a recipient's benefits for the following month. The amendment adds an appropriations and allocations section.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)