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Limit on cash assistance and welfare reform in Michigan

Michigan State Capitol
Matt Katzenberger
/
Flickr
Michigan State Capitol

The legislature recently approved a bill that would impose a stricter four-year lifetime limit on welfare cash assistance. The new limits could affect 12,000 families in Michigan. Governor Snyder has yet to sign the bill into law.

In this week's political roundup we talk about the bill with Debbie Dingell, a Democratic Political Analyst and member of the Democratic National Committee and Ken Sikkema, former Senate Majority Leader and Senior Policy Fellow for Public Sector Consultants.

Dingell says:

"No one has thought of the consequences of what is going to happen when 12,000 families that have been relying on the social safety net suddenly have no support."

Sikkema explains:

"Even though people are no longer going to be eligible for cash assistance they still receive food stamps, still are eligible for day care, still are eligible for health care through the Medicaid system.

 

 

Zoe Clark is Michigan Public's Political Director. In this role, Clark guides coverage of the state Capitol, elections, and policy debates.
Mercedes Mejia is a producer and director of Stateside.
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