• Home
  • News
    • Politics / Govt
    • Legislature
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
    • Archives
  • Sports
    • Badgers
    • Packers
      • Titletown Report
    • Brewers
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support

Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Legislature / Lawmakers hold hearing on welfare reform bills

Lawmakers hold hearing on welfare reform bills

January 31, 2018 By Andrew Beckett

The Wisconsin state Capitol.

State lawmakers held a lengthy public hearing Wednesday on a series of controversial welfare reform bills.

The package of ten bills, included in a special session call from the governor, would create new requirements for public assistance programs such as FoodShare and Medicaid. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) says they have four basic goals – promote accountability, encourage personal responsibility, prevent fraud and abuse, and to get people off government assistance and back into the world of work.

“Public assistance was never intended to be a permanent way of life,” Vos told lawmakers during a committee hearing. “This package will do our part to helping more people move into the workforce and prevent fraud and abuse.”

Democrats argue the bills will hurt struggling families by cutting off access to needed resources. They have also questioned the timing of the proposals, after Governor Scott Walker called a special session to take them up a day after Republicans lost control of a Senate seat they had held for more than a decade.

Prior to Wednesday’s hearing, several advocacy groups held a press conference to urge lawmakers to delay action on the bills and consider programs that help address the root causes of poverty. “However well-intentioned this package of bills might be, they do not address the very real barriers to employment,” argued Brad Paul with the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association.

A committee vote on the bills is already scheduled for Thursday. Lawmakers could take them up on the floor sometime in February.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: Legislature, News



Featured Stories

Wisconsin politicians react as SCOTUS overturns Roe v. Wade

Republicans gavel in and out of special session to overturn Wisconsin’s abortion law

Juneteenth flag raised at Wisconsin Capitol

Gableman invokes 5th amendment, elections probe found in contempt in open records case

House passed gun purchase background check bills last year with no support from Wisconsin Republicans

TwitterFacebook

Sports Headlines

Giannis breaks franchise scoring record, Bucks beat Nets in OT

Wisconsin’s Davis declares for NBA Draft

Badgers to face Arizona State in Las Vegas Bowl

Williams likely out for the season with broken hand

Packers releasing TE Jace Sternberger

More Sports

Tweets by @WRN

Get our news delivered to your inbox:

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Copyright © 2022 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC

 

Loading Comments...