LEPAGE'S DANGEROUS WELFARE BILLS WON'T GET PEOPLE BACK TO WORK

Public, experts warn LePage’s misguided policies pull rug out from struggling families

AUGUSTA –  In hours of testimony,  members of the public and anti-poverty experts warned against Governor Paul LePage’s misguided and dangerous welfare proposals that would pull the rug out from struggling families.

The message was delivered during a public hearing on four of the Governor’s bills that dismantle Maine’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program — a program of last resort for families in crisis.

“We heard loud and clear that the Governor’s bills are the wrong route to reform,” said Rep. Dick Farnsworth of Portland, the House chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. “While they make for a good campaign soundbite, they won’t help get people back to work and they won’t prevent fraud. At a time when Maine ranks among the worst states for job growth in the country, we cannot eliminate successful longstanding job training programs.”

Governor LePage is proposing to eliminate one of the state’s most successful job-training and job readiness program in TANF, the “Parents As Scholars” initiative.  The committee heard from single mothers who credited the program for enabling women to escape abuse and poverty and are now working in good jobs as a result of the program.

Heidi Hart is now a practicing attorney, and is also a former teen parent, domestic violence survivor, former TANF recipient, and graduate of the Parents as Scholars Program. She credited the program with allowing her to complete her degree at the University of Maine; two days after her graduation she started working full-time and left the welfare rolls for good.

Hart told the committee, “If your goal is to enable people to leave welfare and poverty behind for good, education is key to achieving that goal because education is key to securing the kind of job that will provide financial independence and security.”

Studies show a higher education degree leads to better-paying jobs as well as a stronger tax base. U.S. Census data show that people who complete two years of college earn around 30 percent more than those with just high school diplomas, and those who earn four-year bachelor’s degrees earn 32 percent more than the two-year graduates.

“We know the best path out of poverty is a job,” said Senator Margaret Craven of Lewiston, the Senate Chair of the committee. “Eliminating successful programs that help people get the education and training they need is short-sighted and foolish. Governor LePage’s proposals will not help people get a job and get back on their feet; they will simply make it harder for struggling families to survive.”

One in four Mainers who seek TANF are escaping domestic violence.

Rachel Ridenour spoke about the lifeline TANF assistance provided to her when she left an abusive marriage: “TANF gave me the security I needed to leave the abusive relationship. Knowing that I’d have enough income to pay rent and that I’d have child care when I found work gave me the confidence I needed to make my life and the life of my son better.”

Of the roughly 8,000 families seeking temporary assistance, there are 12,000 children. Nearly all families, or 92 percent, are headed by women, according to testimony from the Maine Women’s Lobby.

The average TANF benefit is $485 per month and is typically used to pay for rent or food.

“Making it harder for people in crisis to access critical help makes it harder for struggling parents to feed their children and keep a roof over their heads,” said Senator Colleen Lachowicz of Waterville, a social worker. “This is yet another half-baked idea from Governor LePage that will do nothing to help people in crisis.”

Anti-poverty experts told the committee that Governor LePage’s track record on welfare has led to greater homelessness and higher child poverty rates. A study by University of Maine Professor Sandra Butler shows that since the Governor’s so-called “reforms” took effect, seventy percent of those who have been cut off of temporary help have had to rely on food banks, one in three have had their utilities turned off and one in five have been evicted from their homes.

The Health and Human Services Committee will hold a work session on the bills on Wednesday at 1 p.m. in room 209 of the Cross Building.

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