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Lawmakers hear repeated criticism of Fedcap's management of ASPIRE TANF services
Summary
Representative Tiff Archer and more than a dozen current and former ASPIRE participants, advocates and employees told lawmakers Thursday that outsourcing Maine's TANF employment and training services to Fedcap has produced inconsistent assistance, high staff turnover and delays that harmed families.
Representative Tiff Archer and others pressed the committee Thursday to return ASPIRE TANF services to state administration after multiple witnesses described persistent service problems under the current private contractor.
"These fit numbers are not just disappointing, they represent catastrophic failure," Representative Archer told the Health and Human Services Committee while summarizing contract outcomes and alleged reporting practices the sponsor called misleading.
What the sponsor said Representative Archer, sponsor of LD 943, told the committee she and other advocates have repeatedly seen low work‑participation rates and other measures that, in her view, show Fedcap has not delivered the services promised under its contract. She urged the committee to consider moving ASPIRE services back to state employment, saying the change would help keep more program dollars in Maine and improve oversight.
First‑hand testimony from participants and staff More than a dozen speakers — including current and…
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