AUGUSTA – Today, March 28, Governor Paul R. LePage and Maine Dept. of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew introduced the Welfare Reform for Increased Security and Employment (RISE) Act.

Some aspects of The RISE Act:

Require able-bodied adults to work or enrolled in an approved vocational training program 20 hours per week or volunteer as little as one hour a day to receive assistance
Place photographs on EBT cards
Codify a $5,000 asset test on certain households that receive food assistance
Ban or suspend parents who are not cooperating with child support services from receiving food assistance
Disqualify lottery and gambling winners of $5,000 or more from receiving food assistance
Require education programs paid for with TANF to be for jobs with average or better outlooks
Ban repeat felony drug offenders from receiving food assistance

Disqualify all adults in a household from receiving TANF assistance if an individual is convicted of welfare-related theft or fraud.