U.S. SENATE — U.S. Senator Steve Daines today reintroduced welfare reform legislation, the “Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services Act” or “JOBS Act,” to help low-income Montana families find work by helping connect them with employers and other resources that will help Montana parents secure good-paying jobs. Daines’ bill strengthens welfare work requirements, helps Montana families secure access to child care and helps lift Montana children out of poverty.
“Finding and keeping a job is the best way for Montana families to go from government dependency to self-sufficiency,” Daines stated. “My bill recognizes that there is dignity and hope in work. We need to do more to give Montana families a hand-up, not simply a handout, and provide the resources they need to secure a brighter future.”
Today, following introduction of his bill, Daines participated in a bicameral roundtable discussion on the importance of reforming the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
Download video of his remarks HERE.
Background:
Work requirements were a core component of the historic bipartisan welfare reforms in 1996, and proved to drive down welfare caseloads and reduce child poverty. Over the years, however, the work requirements fell flat and were ignored by many states. While current law bases TANF allotments on participation requirements that are routinely avoided, the JOBS for Success Act requires everyone to be working or seeking work.
The bill will require that the state’s case workers engage with job seekers to help them not only find a job but keep a job. The measure will help close the “jobs gap” by connecting job creators with potential workers who are currently on the sidelines.
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Contact: Katherine McKeogh, Katie Schoettler