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Lawmakers hear hours of testimony on ASPIRE TANF contract; sponsors push to return program to state, contractors and participants disagree
Summary
Representative Tiff Archer and dozens of witnesses urged the committee to move ASPIRE TANF administration back to state employees, citing low work participation rates and participant complaints about Fedcap. DHHS said program metrics have begun to improve and warned a premature shift would disrupt services.
Representative Tiff Archer (District 129) opened public testimony on LD 943, which would require ASPIRE, Maine’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) employment and training program, to be administered by state employees rather than an out‑of‑state nonprofit contractor.
Archer said she was urging the transfer because the current contractor’s performance fell short of expectations and because outcomes such as the work participation rate (WPR) have been “catastrophic” at times. “These fit numbers are not just disappointing, they represent catastrophic failure,” Archer said in summary of participant reports and contract data presented to the committee.
Supporters: dozens of current and former ASPIRE participants, legal aid advocates and labor unions testified in favor of the bill. Common themes in testimony included long delays for support services (tuition, car repairs, childcare), high staff turnover at the contractor,…
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