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.

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 and Senate Bill 6478, 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.