Public Assistance and The Way Life Should Be

Two bills that seek to restrict access to welfare and general assistance, received lots of testimony in the Health and Human Services Committee. According to an article in the Sun Journal, proponents of the bills claimed that people are moving to Maine for our state’s easily accessible welfare system, while opponents stated that the influx of benefit-seekers was a myth, and that residency requirements have been proven unconstitutional by other states.

“Residency requirements are a reaction to a myth in Maine that people move to our beautiful state just to receive our state subsidies,” said Laura Harper of the Maine Women’s Lobby. “Data from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services shows that more people receiving assistance are actually leaving than coming into the state.”