AUGUSTA, Maine — Citing likely constitutional issues, a legislative committee on Tuesday quickly dispatched two bills that would have imposed additional residency requirements on welfare recipients.
Lawmakers have been debating a number of measures aimed at addressing the perception — repeated often during last fall’s political campaigns — that non-Maine residents move to the state to take advantage of more generous welfare programs.
But despite a strong appetite for welfare reform among the State House’s new Republican majority, members of the Health and Human Services Committee voted unanimously to recommend rejection of two bills that sought to tighten Maine’s laws.
Both bills would have required applicants for assistance through state and federal programs to prove their residency status before receiving benefits.
http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/05/03/politics/welfare-reform-falls-flat-in-committee/The sponsor of one of these bills actually admitted her bill violated the Constitution. Sheesh. At least the HHS Committee made the right decision.