The politics of exclusion. What would the Republicans be without their divisive issues?
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - People convicted of certain crimes - including murder, rape and some drug offenses - would not be able to receive welfare benefits under a bill passed Thursday by the state House.
The House plan also would restrict the amount of time able-bodied people could get welfare benefits to two consecutive years and a lifetime limit of four years. People would have to show proof they are legally living in the U.S. to get benefits.
Recipients would lose some of their benefits if they don't fulfill work or training requirements. In a pilot program, welfare applicants could be drug tested if there are indications of substance abuse.
Republicans have taken the bill she originally vetoed as having gone "too far" and pushed it even farther. They have no intention of actually working with the Guv to get "reform" passed- they are looking for yet another veto so they can have some juicy sound bites for the upcoming campaign season- never mentioning that they are doing this at the expense of poor children.
Opponents said the bill will hurt children most by throwing their parents off the welfare recipient list.
"This bill started off bad and is going downhill fast," Rep. Chris Kolb, a Democrat from Ann Arbor, said as the bill was amended several times to push stricter changes in the system. Amendments addressed the welfare eligibility of parole violators, fugitives from justice and others.
Not only are the Pubs playing politics with poor children's lives, they are risking federal money to do so.
Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm vetoed legislation with some similar time-limit themes in December. Granholm said in her veto letter last year that she supports limiting the amount of time welfare recipients can receive cash if there is nothing keeping them self-sufficiency. But she said last year's proposals went too far.
But supporters said this plan is different, and that action is needed now - in part to avoid federal penalties for not having enough welfare recipients moving toward work participation goals.
Kolb said the bill would not help meet those goals. He said the time limits are so strict it would throw people off welfare "even if they are doing everything they're supposed to be doing" as part of the program.
Michigan had about 74,000 welfare case families involving about 230,000 people, many of them children, at the end of last fiscal year.
75% are children, if I'm not mistaken.
Moving on from the "punish the poor kids" legislation, we have this little gem also- English as the "official" state language. Just as in Washington- more useless nonsense designed to exclude minorities as we wave our flags and pat ourselves on the back for our pseudo-patriotism.
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - English would become the state's official language under a bill passed Tuesday by the state House.
If the legislation becomes law, state agencies would not be required to provide documents in languages other than English. However, supporters of the bill said nothing in it would prohibit an agency from printing documents in a foreign language if it so desired.
The bill passed by a 73-32 vote and now goes to the Senate. The bill had bipartisan support, but it lost a few votes when it was changed on the House floor to remove some clarifying language that had been suggested by Democrats at the committee level.
More than 8 percent of people in Michigan who are at least 5 years old speak a language other than English at home, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
More than half the states have designated English as their official language, according a national group called ProEnglish, which favors the measures.
The House bill as passed states that "except as otherwise provided by law, a state agency is not required to provide documents, publish written materials, or provide website content in any language other than the official language of this state."
Supporters said that means a state agency could still publish materials in a foreign language if it decides it is warranted. But some Democrats argued that the legislation as passed could deny immigrants and others who may not speak English vital documents in their own language.
Red meat for racists. God I hate election years.