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Hi John,

When Marlene, a mother and TANF/WorkFirst recipient tried to go to her mandatory program appointments, her abusive partner wouldn’t let her leave the house.

"[E]very time I was supposed to go [to my WorkFirst appointments] the man I was with thought I was trying to go off and meet someone else. I was supposed to meet 30 hours a week of WorkFirst compliance. But how could I, when I had a maniac trying to control my every move? One day, he instigated a physical fight...[I was badly injured and] missed my WorkFirst classes and was sanctioned."

Marlene was dealing with a situation that threatened her safety and well-being. But TANF’s strict requirements saw her absence as a “refusal to comply.”

Although the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is a financial lifeline for the kids and parents it supports, its stringent program requirements do not recognize the challenging barriers to stability that low-income families often face. When parents aren't able to arrange child care, transportation, or access mental health treatment, they face the risk of being sanctioned—which can sometimes lead to “full-family sanctions:” their cash grant being entirely revoked.

As they stand now, TANF’s restrictive program policies, namely time-limits and full-family sanctions, prioritize compliance above all—sometimes to the detriment of family health and well-being. Inability to meet program requirements is seen as a “refusal to comply.” But navigating difficult situations, while also juggling WorkFirst classes, jobs, and the challenges of parenthood is not a refusal to comply. These rigid program policies don't just harm families on an individual level-- time-limits, in particular, have been proven to worsen our state's racial economic divide [[link removed]] .

Right now, two bills that would restore TANF/WorkFirst and strengthen the program by addressing both the time limit and sanction policies are making their way through the legislature. Lawmakers must pass House Bill 2441 [[link removed]] and Senate Bill 6478 [[link removed]] , and make common-sense policy fixes with our communities’ security and financial stability in mind.

Send an email today with a request that your lawmaker eliminate full-family sanctions and restore broad-based extensions to the TANF time limit in situations of prolonged hardship. By passing these bills, we can continue to strengthen TANF, and ensure that it is a program that supports the families who rely on it for security and stability.

Take action against sanctions and time-limits! [[link removed]]

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