Call for a Hearing! Call legislators Feb. 27 and Feb. 28, 2013
Urgent: Bills to Increase the Welfare Grants in Minnesota Need to Be Heard in Committee!
CALL- IN THIS WEEK. WEDNESDAY February 27th & THURSDAY February 28th.
Welfare Rights Committee has been working hard to get a bill passed through the 2013 Legislative Session. We have had meetings with the Gov’s office, Dept of Human Services and many politicians to stress to them why it is very important to raise the welfare grants this year. We were able to secure authors in the Senate and House and get the bills introduced. NOW we need them to give the bills a hearing in the Health and Human Services Committees. We need the Democrat Leadership to a stand for poor and working families and children. We need to pressure them to support the bills.
1) CALL DFL House Committee Chairs and Request a Hearing on Bill HF433 to increase MFIP (welfare) cash grants for families in poverty
–Representative Tina Leibling (Chair of House Health Human Services Policy Committee) 651-296-0573, rep.tina.liebling@house.mn
–Representative Tom Huntley (Chair of House Health Human Services Finance Cmtee) 651-296-2228, rep.thomas.huntley@house.mn
Sample Message for the House committee chairs:
“I ask you and the DFL to support a significant increase to the MFIP grant in Minnesota and give the bill to increase the grants, HF433, a hearing in your committee in time to meet the deadlines.”
2) CALL DFL Senate Committee Chairs and Request a Hearing on Bill SF165 to increase MFIP (welfare) cash grants for families in poverty
–Senator Kathleen Sheran ( Chair of Senate Health, Human Services and Housing Policy Committee) 651-296-6153 sen.kathy.sheran@senate.mn
–Senator Tony Lourey (Chair of Senate Health Human Services Finance Division) 651-296-0293 sen.tony.lourey@senate.mn
Sample Message for Senate committee chairs:
“I ask you and the DFL to support a significant increase to the MFIP grant in Minnesota and give the bill to increase the grants, SF165, a hearing in your committee in time to meet the deadlines.”
3) At any time, please CALL your legislators and ask them to support and pass the first increase in Minnesota’s MFIP cash grants in 27 years.
To find your Senator and Representative and contact info: http://www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts/
Background Info/Talking Points:
- 100,000 receive welfare (MFIP) cash assistance every month in MN.
- 70,000 of this number are children.
- Minnesota’s cash assistance grants put families at 70% below the federal poverty level.
- This means that 70,000 MN children are living in what is considered EXTREME POVERTY.
- Even if the grants were doubled, families would still be 30% below the federal poverty level. MFIP Cash Grants have not been increased since 1986- 27 years.
- The cost of living has more than doubled since 1986.
- In 2012, only 27% of the federal dollars from TANF block grant given to MN for welfare, actually went to the cash grants.
- A family of two receives a cash grant of $437 a month. A family of three receives $532 a month.
Welfare Rights Committee 
one thing i have noticed over the last cuple decades is the lack of commuinication amongst the rule makers. i understand the cash amount maybe an issue but is all the info out there. such as subsidised housing, increased food support amounts, wic, free car repairs, insurance and gas that they do not have to pay back. it already takes away the incentive to work. sure a liveable wages is about 17.51 per hour. the ones that need the help the most are the ones that try to make it and control their own lives yet they will get a tax increase to support an increase in MFIP benefits.//// here are a couple examples from one apt complex. a single parent is working 2 part time jobs and is a full time student. raise a special needs child pays 600.00 in rent plus utilities and struggles. in the same complex a person on assistance has 2 children and expecting. gets 532.00 in cash plus 473.00 in food. gets help with transportation costs and pays 3 dollars a month in rent and utilities are covered. UNLESS LEGISLATERS AND OTHER RULEMAKERS START TO UNDERSTAND ALL THE RULES THEY SET INTO LAW AND COMMUNICATE THE MINNESOTA FAMILY INVESTMENT PROGRAM (MFIP), WHICH IS A WORK FIRST PROGRAM, WILL TURN TO THE WHY WORK PROGRAM. THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS OF COURSE. HAVE THEY LOOKED AT THE MIGRATION TO MINNESOTA ESPECIALLY NORTHERN MN FROM OTHER STATES BECAUSE OF THE BENES WE ALREADY HAVE. PLEASE COMMUNICATE AND LOOK AT THIS REALISTICALLY.