Welfare Reform Bill Poses Risks for Survivors

November 07, 2013

JDI has been mobilizing its member programs and working with allies to impact the final welfare reform bill before the Massachsuetts Legislature.  Now that the bill has passed both the House and Senate, it now goes to conference committee.  The conferenced version is expected to be released during the final week of the session (week of November 20, 2013).

CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR AND REPRESENTATIVE NOW!
Ask them to support the requests from Jane Doe Inc. and our partners at Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and Homes for Families to pass a final bill that address the needs of parents with disabilities, set reasonable expectations regarding job search, remove work requirements for pregnant women in their third trimester, and allows both education and training for 24 months as well as 4-year college programs to count.

The following was reported in State House News Service (November 6, 2013):

'Boston Mayor Thomas Menino also challenged the bill in a letter to Boston lawmakers, urging the adoption of an amendment filed by Cambridge Rep. Marjorie Decker.

"The legislation before you includes elements that would result in significantly more denials and deeper poverty, by making it difficult for individuals and families to enroll or re-enroll for benefits and to build and maintain assets," Menino wrote. "Other aspects undercut efforts by persons on welfare to break the cycle of poverty, for example, by furthering their post-secondary education at a 4-year college."