LD 2122

132nd MAINE LEGISLATURE
  SECOND REGULAR SESSION-2026
Legislative Document  No. 2122
H.P. 1437  House of Representatives, January 7, 2026
  An Act to Prevent Negative Impacts from Federal Funding Changes
  to and Fund Eligibility Determinations and Outreach for the
  Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
  (EMERGENCY)
   Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule
203.
   Reference to the Committee on Health and Human Services suggested and ordered printed.
  ROBERT B. HUNT
  Clerk
Presented by Speaker FECTEAU of Biddeford.
Cosponsored by Senator HICKMAN of Kennebec and
Representatives: ABDI of Lewiston, DEBRITO of Waterville, FROST of Belgrade,
MASTRACCIO of Sanford, MCCABE of Lewiston, PLUECKER of Warren.
  Printed on recycled paper
1    Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not
2 become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and
3     Whereas, the United States Department of Agriculture has changed the funding
4 structure of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which will require the State
5 to contribute as much as 15% of program costs if the error rate for eligibility determinations
6 exceeds certain thresholds; and
7     Whereas, the effective date of the funding structure change begins in federal fiscal
8 year 2028, which commences on October 1, 2027. The electronic system required by this
9 legislation is expected to assist the Department of Health and Human Services in reducing
10 the error rate to a level that minimizes the State's share of the costs of program benefits by
11 the effective date of the federal funding structure change; and
12     Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within
13 the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as
14 immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now,
15 therefore,
16 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
17     Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §3104, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 1979, c. 386, is amended by
18 enacting at the end a new last blocked paragraph to read:
19 The department shall establish a grant program to provide grants to community-based
20 organizations that have entered into contracts with the department to provide SNAP
21 outreach activities. The department may award a community-based organization a grant
22 under the grant program to provide matching funds for federal funding for approved SNAP
23 outreach activities and to hire a SNAP outreach community coordinator to improve
24 communications with SNAP recipients.
25     Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §3104, sub-§18 is enacted to read:
26     18. Error rate reduction system. The department shall operate an electronic system
27 to detect and correct erroneous eligibility determinations for food allotments using
28 advanced mathematical methods, with a goal of reducing the error rate calculated by the
29 United States Department of Agriculture to a level that minimizes the State's share of the
30 costs of SNAP benefits. The electronic system must be capable of identifying root causes
31 of erroneous eligibility determinations and operate independently of another system or
32 systems used by the department to process and record eligibility determinations. The
33 electronic system must operate in conformity with regulations and error rate standards
34 promulgated by the United States Department of Agriculture.
35     Sec. 3. 22 MRSA §3104, sub-§19 is enacted to read:
36     19. Contingency fund. The department shall establish and maintain a contingency
37 fund, referred to in this subsection as "the fund," as a nonlapsing fund to provide SNAP
38 benefits to recipients of SNAP benefits in the event the Federal Government fails to provide
39 funding for SNAP benefits to the State. The department, in its sole discretion, shall use
40 money from the fund for the purposes of this subsection in accordance with rules adopted
41 by the department. All money appropriated by the State for the purposes of the fund must
42 be deposited into the fund. The balance in the fund may not exceed $87,000,000. Rules
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43
1 adopted pursuant to this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter
44
2 375, subchapter 2-A.
3     Sec. 4. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and
4 allocations are made.
5 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF
6 Office for Family Independence Z020
7 Initiative: Provides ongoing funding for the cost of contracting for a position to support and
8 manage the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program outreach activities, including the
9 SNAP Outreach Grant Program, and assist with work to reduce the State's Supplemental
10 Nutrition Assistance Program payment error rate.
11 GENERAL FUND  2025-26  2026-27
12  All Other  $96,400  $96,400
13__________       __________
14 GENERAL FUND TOTAL  $96,400  $96,400
15
11 SNAP Contingency Fund N563
16 Initiative: Provides one-time funding to make benefit payments to Supplemental Nutrition
17 Assistance Program recipients in the event of a loss of federal funding.
18 GENERAL FUND  2025-26  2026-27
19  All Other  $87,000,000  $0
20__________       __________
21 GENERAL FUND TOTAL  $87,000,000  $0
22
18 SNAP Outreach Grant Program N564
23 Initiative: Provides funding for grants to community-based organizations for Supplemental
24 Nutrition Assistance Program benefits outreach services and to hire outreach coordinators.
25 GENERAL FUND  2025-26  2026-27
26  All Other  $750,000  $750,000
27__________       __________
28 GENERAL FUND TOTAL  $750,000  $750,000
29
25
30 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,
31 DEPARTMENT OF
32 DEPARTMENT TOTALS  2025-26  2026-27
33
34   GENERAL FUND  $87,846,400  $846,400
35__________       __________
36 DEPARTMENT TOTAL - ALL FUNDS  $87,846,400  $846,400
37
30     Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this legislation
38
31 takes effect when approved.
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1SUMMARY
2      This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to operate an
3  electronic system to reduce the error rate for eligibility determinations for food allotments
4  under the statewide Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
5     The bill authorizes the department to award grants to community-based organizations
6 to provide matching funds for federal funding for approved SNAP outreach activities and
7 to hire SNAP outreach community coordinators. The grant program is established by the
8 department. The bill provides ongoing funding of $750,000 per fiscal year for the grant
9 program.
10     The bill directs the department to establish and maintain a contingency fund to provide
11 SNAP benefits to SNAP benefit recipients in the event the Federal Government fails to
12 provide SNAP benefit funding to the State. The balance in the fund may not exceed
13 $87,000,000. The bill appropriates $87,000,000 in fiscal year 2025-26 to the fund.
14     The bill provides ongoing funding of $96,400 per fiscal year for the cost of contracting
15 for a position to support and manage SNAP outreach activities and assist with work to
16 reduce the SNAP payment error rate.
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