Thursday, February 12, 2015

Senate debates tighter restrictions on welfare benefits

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Senate is debating a bill that would stop welfare benefits to recipients who don’t fulfill work requirements.


The bill sponsored by Sen. David Sater, (R) Cassville. requires the Department of Social Services to immediately apply a total full family unit sanction of Temporart Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits if after an investigation the Department determines that a person is not cooperating with a work activity requirement under the TANF program. The cutoff of benefits would last a minimum of one month.


To restore benefits, recipients would have to perform work activities for a minimum average of 30 hours per week for one month.


Beginning next year, the bill also would impose a two-year limit on TANF benefits for adults, with the limit not applying to minors or families qualifying for a hardship exemption. Persons seeking benefits would be required to engage in work activities before becoming eligible. The bill would also impose a work requirement to people receiving benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).


Sater’s bill calls for any savings resulting from the changes to TANF and SNAP under this act be used to provide child care assistance for single parents, education assistance, transportation assistance, and job training for individuals receiving benefits under the programs as allowable under law.


Copyright 2015, Schurz Communications



Senate debates tighter restrictions on welfare benefits

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