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An Act To Establish a 180-day Residency Requirement for Welfare Benefits
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  22 MRSA §3104, sub-§8-A  is enacted to read:
 
8-A.  Residency requirement.     An applicant for assistance under the statewide food supplement program must prove to the department that the applicant has been physically present for 180 days or longer in the State prior to applying for the statewide food supplement program. Acceptable forms of proof of residency must include the applicant's name and the address of the applicant's residence or domicile. A post office box or mail drop address is not sufficient. Acceptable proof of residency includes, but is not limited to:
 
A.  A tax return, W-2 form or paycheck stub;
 
B.  A utility bill or a letter from a utility company showing application for service;
 
C.  A contract to which the applicant is a party; or
 
D.  A document issued by a governmental entity.
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §3104-A, sub-§3, as amended by PL 2009, c. 291, §3, is further amended to read:
 
3. Administration.   The department shall provide assistance under this section to eligible households on a monthly basis through an electronic benefit transfer system. For the purpose of this subsection, "eligible household" means a household that has been physically present for 180 days or longer in the State prior to applying for the statewide food supplement program. Acceptable forms of proof of residency must include the applicant's name and the address of the applicant's residence or domicile. A post office box or mail drop address is not sufficient. Acceptable proof of residency includes, but is not limited to:
 
A.  A tax return, W-2 form or paycheck stub;
 
B.  A utility bill or a letter from a utility company showing application for service;
 
C.  A contract to which the applicant is a party; or
 
D.  A document issued by a governmental entity.
Sec. 3. 22 MRSA §3173, 8th ¶, as repealed and replaced by PL 1979, c. 127, §144, is amended to read:
NoA time standard established by this section shallmay not be used as a waiting period before granting aid, or as a basis for denial of an application or for terminating assistance.
Sec. 4. 22 MRSA §3173, as amended by PL 1997, c. 676, §1 and PL 2003, c. 689, Pt. B, §6, is further amended by adding at the end a new paragraph to read:
An applicant for assistance under the MaineCare program must prove to the department that the applicant has been physically present for 180 days or longer in the State prior to applying for MaineCare. Acceptable forms of proof of residency must include the applicant's name and the address of the applicant's residence or domicile. A post office box or mail drop address is not sufficient. Acceptable proof of residency includes, but is not limited to, a tax return, W-2 form or paycheck stub; a utility bill or a letter from a utility company showing application for service; a contract to which the applicant is a party; or a document issued by a governmental entity.
Sec. 5.  22 MRSA §3763, sub-§11  is enacted to read:
 
11.  Residency requirement.     An applicant for assistance under TANF must prove to the department that the applicant has been physically present for 180 days or longer in the State prior to applying for TANF. Acceptable forms of proof of residency must include the applicant's name and the address of the applicant's residence or domicile. A post office box or mail drop address is not sufficient. Acceptable proof of residency includes, but is not limited to:
 
A.  A tax return, W-2 form or paycheck stub;
 
B.  A utility bill or a letter from a utility company showing application for service;
 
C.  A contract to which the applicant is a party; or
 
D.  A document issued by a governmental entity.
Sec. 6. 22 MRSA §4307, sub-§2, ¶A, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 349, Pt. H, §15, is amended to read:
 
A. A resident of the municipality. For the purposes of this section, a "resident" means a person who ishas been physically present for 180 days or longer in a municipality with the intention of remaining in that municipality to maintain or establish a home and who has no other residence; and.
Sec. 7. 22 MRSA §4307, sub-§2, ¶B, as enacted by PL 1987, c. 349, Pt. H, §15, is repealed.
Sec. 8. 22 MRSA §4307, sub-§3, as repealed and replaced by PL 1987, c. 349, Pt. H, §15, is repealed.
 
SUMMARY
This bill establishes a 180-day residency requirement for applicants for the MaineCare program, the statewide food supplement program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and municipal general assistance.