--Tell them to 'Stop Raiding TANF (Welfare) Funds.'
--Give the $47 million in TANF Funds back to TANF to undo all the welfare cuts and raise the grants!
--Say NO to TANF "Refinancing"!
Call Rep. Margaret Kelliher Anderson (Speaker): 651-296-0171
Call Rep. Tony Sertich (Majority Leader): 651-296-0172
Call Rep. Nora Slawik: 651-296-7807 (Chair, Early Childhood Learning Finance Division)
Call Rep. Karen Clark: 651-296-0294 (Chair, Housing Policy and Finance and Public Health Finance Division)
TANF funds are the federal funds that are supposed to be used for welfare for poor families. Over the past number of years legislators have taken over $300 million out of TANF to fund other programs that used to be paid for out of General Fund dollars. They call it "refinancing", we call it outright stealing. This year, leadership and committee chairs in the House have again used TANF as a cookie jar to fund every project under the sun. $24 million of TANF surplus dollars were given to Rep Slawik's committee and $23 million of TANF dollars were given to Rep. Karen Clark's committee. Only one-third of the TANF dollars were actually dedicated to welfare. This is outrageous. Stealing TANF dollars is a right-wing agenda to displace state spending -- we saw this kind of raiding of TANF dollars at the hands of the right wing republicans for years, we absolutely should be having to fight it again this year.
The leadership should respect MN's needs for housing and childcare enough to dedicate General Fund dollars for them - not do a raid of welfare money for quick, temporary fixes. This has left the House without enough TANF money to undo brutal cuts to welfare -- without enough TANF money to improve the situation for the children and families who are living over 62% below the federal poverty level.
In 2003, legislators passed the biggest cuts to welfare in the history of Minnesota. Families already living 62% below the poverty line saw cuts of 15-50% out of their monthly welfare grants. Since 2003, we have been fighting to get the cuts undone and money restored to families in poverty. We have also been working to give the FIRST cost of living increase to the welfare grant in 21 years.
This year, there is enough money in TANF to undo the most devastating cuts. The Senate does it in their budget. There is enough money to make it easier to get education while on welfare and to give more families extensions to the five year lifetime limit. There is enough money to give a cost of living increase to the welfare grants that have not seen one dime of increase in the past 21 years. BUT ONLY if the TANF FUNDS ARE KEPT IN TANF. Raiding TANF funds for other programs is stealing from the families who have suffered the most under the Pawlenty cuts.
Call the leadership of the House and Chairs Slawik and Clark TODAY and tell them to STOP RAIDING TANF funds. Give the money back.
General update on the bills:
The Welfare Rights Committee has had tremendous victories so far with its three poor people's bills at the state legislature. Poor families have filled the hearings - over 15 women have testified on 9 occaisions so far this year.
1) Bill to UNDO the Welfare Cuts and Raise the Grants. SF154 (Berglin) and HF605 (Walker)
This bill stops the $125 cut to monthly cash grant of welfare families with a disabled family member, repeals the $50 cut to cash grant for families in subsidized housing, repeals the family cap, expands extensions to the five year limit, makes it easier to get education, undoes child care cuts, prohibits workfare, and stops MA copays, restores health care for immigrant children and gives the first cost of living increase to the welfare grant in 21 years. This bill has passed the Senate floor with all parts intact except a cost of living increase and it only repeals of some MA copays. In the House, the bill has passed the House Finance with all parts except cost of living increase, repeal of MA copays and family cap.
2) Bill to Prohibit Workfare. SF514 (Tomassoni), HF924 (Dominguez). This bill prohibits workfare, or the ability to force welfare parents to work for free in order to get the grant, in Minnesota's labor law. It has passed the appropriate committees in the House and Senate.
3) Fund Children's Need, Not Corporate Greed Bill -- Close Corporate Loopholes and Undo the Cuts -- SF763 (Moua) HF912 (Hornstein). This bill closes corporate tax loopholes and uses the money to undo welfare cuts and give a welfare grant increase. The bill has had a hearing in Tax Committee in the House.
FFI: Call WRC 612-822-8020