Hi John,

“I took a trip to Pennsylvania to see my family. I got a letter in the mail while I was in Pennsylvania with an appointment to meet my new case worker. I didn’t even know my old case worker left. Nobody let me know. I didn’t receive my letter until I returned home, and I had an appointment midway through my visit. I then got another letter saying I was sanctioned [for missing the appointment].”

-Attendee of 2019 Westport Listening Session

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a financial lifeline for Washington State’s low-income children and their parents: it helps them pay rent, bills, and buy diapers, bus tickets, school clothing, and other essential items for their family. It also sets families on a path toward economic stability: all TANF parents are either working or enrolled in community college classes through WorkFirst, a statewide program that helps families move out of poverty over the long-term.

But even though TANF/WorkFirst provides essential resources, program cuts have destabilized the program and diminished support for the low-income families who rely on it. Restrictive program policies—such as full-family sanctions and time-limits-- prioritize compliance over child and parent well-being. In particular, TANF’s time-limit policy disproportionately harms Black and Native American families most, worsening racial economic divides. Families who are sanctioned or time-limited off TANF continue to face deep financial insecurity, when instead they should be moving toward financial stability.

We are continuing our work to strengthen TANF/WorkFirst by urging legislators to pass House Bill 2441 and Senate Bill 6478. If they pass, both of these bills will restore common-sense policies that prioritize the financial security of families and undo harsh policies that keep families from accessing TANF/WorkFirst. But we only have a few days to move these bills forward, or they will die for the session!

Both HB 2441 and SB 6478 must having hearings and be passed out of their separate finance committees by the end of Tuesday, February 11. If they do not, the bills will die for the session—and we’ll miss our chance to strengthen TANF in 2020. Send your lawmaker an email urging them to take immediate action on these bills today!