February 2008

HB2896 - Increase public assistance grants to account for cost of living.

Sponsored by Rep. Darneille, HB2896 directs DSHS to annually increase general assistance and TANF grant levels to recipients of the program at a rate equal to the annual percentage increase in the consumer price index for all urban consumers as reported by the bureau of labor statistics of the US Dept. of Labor. HB2896 was referred to the Early Learning and Children's Services Committee but has not been scheduled for a hearing. What a TANF grant will pay for has been steadily decreasing. In 1983 it paid for 63% of a . . .

October 2007

by Monica Peabody

What has your local welfare rights group in Olympia been doing since you heard from us in the June Works in Progress (“What’s Up With WROC?”) We have been continuing the daily work of giving information to low income people about their rights at the welfare office, providing witnesses to people for their welfare appointments, doing weekly outreach at the welfare office with coffee and pastries, providing volunteer, intern and work study opportunities for office and community organizing work, insisting the voice of low-income parents be present at legislative and policy . . .