Welfare Cap Passes In The MI House of Representatives

Republicans passed a bill in the House today that puts a four year limit on welfare benefits for most people. There are also changes to who can receive welfare as well as the amount you are allowed to work while receiving benefits.

The new bill passed with a landslide majority of the votes (72-36) and will now go to the Senate. Under the new limitations recipients would only be able to receive 4 years of welfare benefits. The new bill will also ban illegal immigrants from receiving welfare and the state will verify your citizenship before you are approved.

Some will be exempt from the welfare cap  including senior citizens, domestic violence victims, incapacitated adults, pregnant women, and those with disabled children. Under the new guidelines those on assistance will be allowed to work up to 11 more hours per week than the current law and a $4,000 increase to the maximum annual income for recipients. One measure that was removed from the bill would have required any suspected applicants to be tested for substance abuse.

Welfare is essentially assistance for those that need it. The makers of the bill believe that allowing more than four years of benefits will encourage milking of  the system as oppose to people actively trying to improve their situation. What do you think of the new bill?