Welfare Reform

By Scott Macneil

This article appeared on September 1, 2010 in the daily times

She was told at the welfare office if she quit her jobs and just went to school she would get the help she is asking for and then some. This is part of the problem with the welfare system in this state. Citizens who need welfare are being denied. My objectives for reforming the welfare system include:

1) Examine all the cases on file, search out and investigate any fraudulent cases. Estimate: Over $330 million has been identified.

2) All clients must take random drug test. New cases must take drug tests.

3) If the test is positive, steps will be taken to get the parent help. If the parent continues to test positive any children may be removed from the home and the parent may be removed from the program.

4) Must perform 20 hours of community service every week to get benefits if you don't work. Age and health will be a factor if you can do this. Examples of community service: Assist senior citizens, assisting at food banks, and citizen's patrol for crime.

5) We will make GED classes available for clients and set them up on a path toward taking college courses. This will help them get off welfare.

6) Place children limit for benefits. If you are a new case and you have a more than the child limit that will be OK. This would help discourage people from making welfare a form of life.

7) Bring back public assistance to people who need it -- seniors, working people who struggle, and unemployed people in need.

8) Set up different stages of the program for what is needed for clients -- child care, food stamps, money, WIC -- everything that public assistance provides.

9) Set a time limit for the person to get off the program. Again, age and health will be factors if this is possible.

10) Food stamps. Re-examine what can be bought on the program. Healthy food will replace junk food to help with childhood obesity, unhealthy habits, etc. This could also be considered preventative medical care.

This public assistance reform will be one of my top priorities if I am elected to Harrisburg. To learn more about my platform please visit my Web page at http://scottforstaterep.com.