Missouri Governor Jay Nixon last week sent Senate Bill 24, "Strengthening Missouri Families Act", back into the hands of the Missouri legislature with a veto. The legislation, which was designed to implement sweeping TANF/SNAP changes is roundly supported by Republicans who have announced plans to move forward on a veto override, pointing out again the importance of all races beyond the top of the ticket.
http://themissouritimes.com/...
“Children already suffer lifelong consequences from poverty; penalizing them further for their parents’ behavior is mean-spirited and just plain wrong,” said Gov. Nixon. “When it comes to adults, we can all agree on the need for personal responsibility, but these are children. I don’t sign bills that hurt kids – period.”
The bill sought to reduce the lifetime limit for TANF benefits to 45 months without providing an exception for children. As a result, if SB 24 became law, Nixon said approximately 6,465 children would be cut off from benefits on January 1, 2016. An estimated 40 percent of these children are under the age of five. In addition, the bill would also impose a penalty on the child of a parent who fails to engage in work activities and fails to authorize, as it has in other circumstances, a protective payee to receive and administer the child’s share of the benefits.
The legislation, as currently worded is expected to remove around 3,200 families -- roughly 9,500 individuals -- is a measure to reduce Missouri's cost far more than an effort to "Strengthen the Family".
Heartland Institute of Chicago, a libertarian think tank, has been a driving force behind this legislation. The Heartland Institute has made itself famous for fact based errors, primarily of the anti-global warming kind. Their work in mistranslating documents to provide false information to the media forced them to apologize in 2013, but it is unlikely they will admit their calculation of Missouri as "The Worst" state for TANF/SNAP will receive a similar mea culpa anytime soon.
And why should they? Republicans are eagerly spouting the Heartland Institute Talking Points:
http://themissouritimes.com/...
“Missouri’s sorry distinction as last in the nation in working for welfare requires us to act,” said bill sponsor Sen. David Sater, R-Cassvill. “The governor is sticking to the status quo; a broken welfare system that discourages work and needlessly creates welfare dependency.”
What system is this that discourages work? The system currently in place means that if you fall below the poverty guidelines you may be eligible for SNAP/TANF. This includes many who are working - as mothers with two children who earn as much as $846 a month are eligible. For those that wonder, that's currently more than a half time job at minimum wage, which seems ideal for those who want mothers to stay at home and raise children.
Ron Richards (R-Joplin) has no problem spouting the Heartland talking points from memory:
http://themissouritimes.com/...
“Missouri has failed to implement many of the reform policies adopted by other states,” said Senate Majority Leader Ron Richard, R-Joplin. “As a result, we rank dead last in the country in welfare reform policies. We need to restructure our system, reinvest the savings back into the system and get people back into the work force.”
Whenever I hear a paid for study ranks anywhere "dead last" I'm always suspicious of the nature of the study. The Heartland Institute Study,
available here, lists Missouri as last begins with a long editorial focus about the "Rivers of Money" in TANF/SNAP, along with other welfare benefits and reaches the expected conclusions. By lumping together all assistance programs, including those for persons of disabilities, illness and longterm care they determine that all recipients of welfare should be wealthy, and the program needs gutting.
Empower Missouri,the Missouri Association of Social Work, points out that in states that have moved to legislation like SB24 the results have not been ideal. Increased use of food pantries, homeless shelters and homelessness can be expected to rise.
Missouri Republicans, who passed the legislation through their super majority are expected to attempt a veto override in the house and senate. This will firmly place Republicans as the owners of SB-24 and the impact it has in the Show Me State.