Missouri Senate votes to override veto of welfare limits

[DigitalDrifter]

EFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri senators on Monday voted to override Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon's veto of a bill removing several thousand families from a welfare program in a move Nixon said would make Missouri's limits among the lowest in the nation.


The Republican-led Senate voted 25-9 to pass a measure that cuts the lifetime limit for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program that provides cash assistance to low-income residents from five years to three years and nine months. The bill also imposes stricter work requirements.

The measure now moves to the House, where Republicans hold a two-thirds majority that's needed to complete the veto override. Nixon has warned that the measure would be harmful to children.

Sponsoring Sen. David Sater said the changes would encourage low-income parents to find work.

"Right now, this program is actually causing more of a dependency on government," said Sater, a Republican from Cassville. "I want to stop that; I want to see families on their own, self-sufficient."

The proposal is part of a push by Republicans in several states to scale back the social safety net in what they characterize as an effort to encourage personal responsibility. In Kansas, for example, Republican Gov. Sam Brownback recently approved a measure barring the use of cash assistance for concerts, tattoos, lingerie and several other times.

Missouri's legislation would make it among the 10 most restrictive states for the duration of welfare benefits. Two-year limits are imposed on families in Arizona, Arkansas and Idaho. Indiana also has a two-year limit, but it applies only to adults, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Missouri's lower limits would kick 3,155 families off of the program starting January 1, according to Department of Social Services estimates. Nixon said that translates to about 6,400 children.

The most a single parent with two children can get from Missouri's program is $292 per month.

Democratic Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, of St. Louis, said that's not enough for a family to live on and that most people are looking for work. She asserted that the tougher provisions could lead parents to turn to crime to get money to buy food for their children.

"If they have to go rob, shoot, steal, kill, that's what many of those individuals may do," she told colleagues. "You need to think about the unintended consequences."

The measure also would impose sanctions for the entire family if a parent doesn't comply with requirements to work, volunteer, attend school or take job training. Six weeks after a face-to-face meeting with a social worker, noncompliant adults would lose half their family's benefits. All benefits would be cut off after an additional 10 weeks.

The Social Services Department estimates more than 6,600 families could lose benefits for violating work requirements.

The legislation would also require people to engage in work activities before becoming eligible for benefits and create a lump-sum option within the cash assistance program.

Any savings from the changes would be redirected to other initiatives for low-income families, such as child care, transportation and education assistance. A portion would also go toward funding alternatives to abortion and promoting marriage and fatherhood.

Missouri Senate votes to override veto of welfare limits - Yahoo News

 

[Mr. H.]

Let them eat crawdad. And when there is no crawdad, let them eat sand.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

I'm all for letting them get a fucken job!

 

[Mr. H.]

My family lived in poverty for seven very long and laborious years back in the '60s.

No social safety nets, no supportive government, no nothing.

Even the Negroes didn't lift us a finger.,

Where were the Negroes when we needed them?

 

[Zander]

But what about the babies!!! The babies!!! The childrens!!! The poor babies!!! The poor childrens!!! The poor innocent babies!! The poor innocent childrens!!!

 

[Clementine]

There will be more riots if the money stops coming. It's all some people know and they don't qualify for a decent job. And it means working, which some won't do. 80% of the able bodied people in one state stopped taking welfare because the new rules said they either had to work or do a few hours of community service. Easy conditions, but most opted out because they weren't going to lift a finger to get that money.

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

"Missouri Senate votes to override veto of welfare limits"

Typical of most on the ignorant, short-sighted right, who incorrectly believe that those who time-out of TANF will simply find a $25 per hour job.

This also exposes the conservative myth that public assistance acts as a 'disincentive' to finding work, where the issue is a lack of education and training, not a lack of jobs or an 'unwillingness' to work; indeed, most on the right advocate eliminating both public assistance and funding for education and training programs, denying those receiving benefits the means to receive training that will result in meaningful employment.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Cutting education is retarded. Only a retarded person would do such a thing and expect better results. Weird, how the right never thinks up reforms to better educate our children.

 

[ScienceRocks]

But what about the babies!!! The babies!!! The childrens!!! The poor babies!!! The poor childrens!!! The poor innocent babies!! The poor innocent childrens!!!

I guess they better kill themselves working to be able to afford a education in a private sckool!!!

 

[ScienceRocks]

Let them eat crawdad. And when there is no crawdad, let them eat sand.

We could put them to work on getting us to the asteroid belt. They'll make 150k per year as they're doing it!

 

[Jackson]

An interesting outcome to this new policy is that people just might stop having illegitimate children if that means their welfare won't increase. Maybe some of these lackeys will decide to stay in school and make something of themselves. What a thought! The OP is good news!

 

[Lumpy 1]

Cutting education is retarded. Only a retarded person would do such a thing and expect better results. Weird, how the right never thinks up reforms to better educate our children.

If the Democrats knew how to educate and get people to work the inner cities wouldn't be in perpetual crisis mode, their answer so far is throw money, collect votes and go with the status quo..

btw In the legislative branches of government both Parties (or more) get to vote on legislation, generally nothing passes without some agreement from both sides.

... and read up on the, "No Child Left Behind Act", you need the revelation.

No Child Left Behind Act - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

 

[OKTexas]

"Missouri Senate votes to override veto of welfare limits"

Typical of most on the ignorant, short-sighted right, who incorrectly believe that those who time-out of TANF will simply find a $25 per hour job.

This also exposes the conservative myth that public assistance acts as a 'disincentive' to finding work, where the issue is a lack of education and training, not a lack of jobs or an 'unwillingness' to work; indeed, most on the right advocate eliminating both public assistance and funding for education and training programs, denying those receiving benefits the means to receive training that will result in meaningful employment.

Did you bother to read the link, job training is one of the items that can keep you on the program.

 

[jon_berzerk]

simply putting a work requirement to getting the foodies

would drop the numbers enormously

 

[AntiParty]

Let them eat crawdad. And when there is no crawdad, let them eat sand.

Yea! Blind people are so lazy! (Clearly poking fun at the small brains inability to know the difference between someone that needs it vs. welfare fraud)

 

[Clementine]

"Missouri Senate votes to override veto of welfare limits"

Typical of most on the ignorant, short-sighted right, who incorrectly believe that those who time-out of TANF will simply find a $25 per hour job.

This also exposes the conservative myth that public assistance acts as a 'disincentive' to finding work, where the issue is a lack of education and training, not a lack of jobs or an 'unwillingness' to work; indeed, most on the right advocate eliminating both public assistance and funding for education and training programs, denying those receiving benefits the means to receive training that will result in meaningful employment.

There is aid available for higher education, but they have to complete high school first.

The state of Maine decided to give able-bodied people an ultimatum. To continue receiving welfare, the people had to find a job, attend some kind of school or job training or do a mere 6 hours a week of community service. 80% of them refused to do any kind of work and lost the welfare.

If they weren't lazy, how would you account for that? There are options for people to improve, but they aren't doing so. Throwing more money at the problem hasn't done anything. Maybe a firm push in the right direction is needed at this point. If parents aren't doing their job, how is society supposed to pick up the slack?

 

[The Rabbi]

"Missouri Senate votes to override veto of welfare limits"

Typical of most on the ignorant, short-sighted right, who incorrectly believe that those who time-out of TANF will simply find a $25 per hour job.

This also exposes the conservative myth that public assistance acts as a 'disincentive' to finding work, where the issue is a lack of education and training, not a lack of jobs or an 'unwillingness' to work; indeed, most on the right advocate eliminating both public assistance and funding for education and training programs, denying those receiving benefits the means to receive training that will result in meaningful employment.

Unfortunately, for you, that is belied by the history of what happened after Clinton's welfare reform went into law. Yeah, people got off their asses and get jobs.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

"Missouri Senate votes to override veto of welfare limits"

Typical of most on the ignorant, short-sighted right, who incorrectly believe that those who time-out of TANF will simply find a $25 per hour job.

This also exposes the conservative myth that public assistance acts as a 'disincentive' to finding work, where the issue is a lack of education and training, not a lack of jobs or an 'unwillingness' to work; indeed, most on the right advocate eliminating both public assistance and funding for education and training programs, denying those receiving benefits the means to receive training that will result in meaningful employment.

Yeah yeah, we see how well your Dimocrat controlled inner-cities are working. You fools are all for endless benefits that only encourage more out of wedlock births and keeping people perpetually looking for more handouts.

 

[DigitalDrifter]

I'm all for letting them get a fucken job!

You're being racist.

 

[Jackson]

I'm all for letting them get a fucken job!

You're being racist.

Who said he was talking about blacks? All races are on food stamps and welfare.