Maine LD657: An Act to Modify the Law Governing Municipal General Assistance by Designating Broadband Internet Access Service and Wireless Access Point Technology as Basic Necessities

What the bill says

An Act to Modify the Law Governing Municipal General Assistance by Designating Broadband Internet Access Service and Wireless Access Point Technology as Basic Necessities Received by the Clerk of the House on February 20, 2025. Referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 401. ROBERT B. HUNT Clerk Presented by Representative SIMMONS of Waldoboro. Printed on recycled paper.

From the engrossed text:

An Act to Modify the Law Governing Municipal General Assistance by Designating Broadband Internet Access Service and Wireless Access Point Technology as Basic Necessities Received by the Clerk of the House on February 20, 2025. Referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services pursuant to Joint Rule 308.2 and ordered printed pursuant to Joint Rule 401. ROBERT B. HUNT Clerk Presented by Representative SIMMONS of Waldoboro. Printed on recycled paper Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §4301, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2019, c. 126, §2, is further amended to read: 1. Basic necessities. "Basic necessities" means food, potable water, clothing, shelter, fuel, electricity, nonelective medical services as recommended by a physician, nonprescription drugs, telephone where when it is necessary for medical reasons, broadband Internet access service, wireless access point technology and any other commodity or service determined essential by the overseer in accordance with the municipality's ordinance and this chapter. "Basic necessities" do does not include security deposits for rental property, except for emergency purposes. For the purposes of this subsection, "emergency purposes" means any situation in which no other permanent lodging is available unless a security deposit is paid. For the purposes of this subsection, "broadband Internet access service" has the same meaning as in Title …

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