I thought this was for low income people who either already have a job, show they have one lined up, or are likely to get one soon. You only get to keep the car after a down payment and monthly fees for 2 years. I think enforcement is the main sticking point.
Here is part of the article about it: AUGUSTA – Governor Janet Mills is moving forward with controversial plan to buy cars for Maine welfare recipients at a cost of about $6 million. The cost and lax rules for the program are drawing criticism, as well as the Mills Administration pushing the spending through while the Maine Legislature is shut down and public hearings are forbidden.
Here is the information from the Maine Examiner. It says that people will have to pay a $300 down payment (in 3 $100 increments), and then they pay $100 a month for two years, plus take care of any maintenance that the vehicle requires. They have to agree not to drink and drive, but I didn’t see anything about having to have a job , or even that they had to be looking for one. Even if they sell the vehicle before the 2 years, they are not charged with theft, just a minor violation. If the make the payments for 2 whole years, then, the state will give them the title. https://maineexaminer.com/gov-mills...are-program-to-buy-cars-lax-rules-criticized/
Yes, and where she can get businesses to mandate masks, some of the police agencies will enforce the mandate, charging non-masked customers with trespassing, although I haven't heard of any arrests here in Maine yet, and those businesses losing their licenses have had them returned.
It looks like this program has been in operation since 2017, so they should have information about how well it is working by now. In theory, I think that it is a good idea, and would make a decent vehicle affordable to low income people. I see that this applies only to families with children, so it is not something that low-income seniors would be allowed to participate in. They do this same thing with the low income internet services. Each company is supposed to provide an internet service for low income people, but they can decide who is acceptable in each program. As an example, Comcast only provides low-cost internet to families with school age children. However, AT&T will provide low cost internet for seniors who qualify, so I am able to get their $10 a month low income internet service. Amazon Prime also has a low income option , and it is open for anyone who has EBT or Medicaid. If the car program were available here, and I qualified (I am probably too low income to even qualify), I would definitely do something like this; because I could then find a delivery job, like Doordash or Instacart, and be able to make my monthly payments on the vehicle. So, If it works as intended, I can see where this could help out a lot of low-income families.
No, it hasn't been. The bill you're pointing to was introduced in 2017 but the legislature didn't have the votes to pass it. A lot of bills are introduced but they have to be passed and signed into law in order to be in force, under normal circumstances. It is not a law, and it won't necessarily have to follow any of the rules specified in this bill because this bill was never passed. Click on the "Bill Tracking" link. Final Disposition: Died On Adjournment, Aug 2, 2017
Ah, someone noticed... notice: remember the cash for clunkers program a while back ? $2000.00 or some such for any old vehicle, or any vehicle, even not running... maybe only tradein , maybe cash, but a lot of vehicles ended up being scrapped, and many went to mexico where they sold for more than in the usa.... notice: people in churches using their vehicles for a kick-back from the car dealers - i.e. as a trade in.. < shrugs > ... maybe $300.00 maybe $100.00 maybe $50.00 maybe some free option included/ maybe even $3000.00 trade in OFF a $40,000.00 vehicle that costs $25,000.00 just five or ten years earlier !!! INSTEAD of finding a way someone else in their family or church or on their block or at the salvation army or some other group home or recovery center or living center could make use of the vehicle... notice: so most all the 'inexpensive' vehicles are no longer available .... the poor can walk, can't even get a ride to and from church this year, eh ? on and on it goes..... money flowing in rivers UP the ladder - no trickle down effect .... the very rich get very richer ... with a few exceptions that actually may help the poor...
I'll take it a step further. The government intentionally reduced opportunities for the middle-to-lower class to be self-sufficient by taking those "stepping stone" vehicles out of the marketplace. I was able to make my house payment for many years by driving cars I could pay cash for, and by buying "less beat up" cars as I came upon them and selling mine to the next guy to get some utility out of. Not any more. The lack of used inventory has driven values up so high that the payments on high-value used cars at higher used car interest rates approaches that of new cars. There are parallels of destruction in government getting involved in "better wages" and in "affordable housing."
Reminds me - "How did the Drug Makers , Doctors, and Government keep the cost of medical care in the USA going up, UP, UP ? (since before 1950, and of course since then)
I think it's largely due to health insurance. -The consumer is separated from the cost of the service -In a subsidized market, prices rise to the level of available funding (think tuition costs and Federally Guaranteed Loans)