Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage wants to ban food stamps and cash assistance for people convicted of drug felonies.
His office says he also wants to bag the department's current drug-testing policy for certain recipients and institute suspicion-based testing for all recipients.
The idea comes as Maine legalizes recreational marijuana. LePage's proposal is getting pushback from advocates for low-income individuals who say it's erroneous to assume everyone with a felony conviction is a serious drug offender.
LePage's proposal comes as more states opt out of federal law prohibiting welfare for such individuals. The Congressional Research Service found three states have lifetime bans on both cash benefits and food stamps.
One Maine welfare recipient tested positive for drugs from April through June 2015. State officials haven't provided recent data.
