At this year’s Legislative Lobby Days, my group and I lobbied for Senate Bill(SB) 23. SB 23 was written by Senator Holly J. Mitchell to repeal the Maximum Family Grant (MFG) in the California Work Opportunities and Responsibility to Children (CalWORKs) program. Currently, the MFG, also known as a “family cap,” is intended to threaten parents with economic hardship in order to control their choices concerning conception. The existing law requires each county in California to provide cash assistance and other social services to underprivileged families through the CalWORKs program using funds from the state, county, and federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant program. However, children do not receive any benefits or …show more content…
Less than one third of American states still employ a family cap policy as an eligibility limitation. Policymakers should recognize the lasting harm to children, parents, and communities when families are driven deeper into economic despair. If state policymakers fail to prioritize reducing poverty, they risk leaving a large number of children behind The money that put aside from TANF which funds CalWORKs programs has four purposes of specified in federal law: (1) assisting needy families so children can be cared for in their own homes or the homes of relatives; (2) reducing the dependency of needy parents by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; (3) preventing out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) encouraging the formation and maintenance of two-parent families. What better use of this fund than maintaining these values at the source, the moment children are born, than the need to band-aide future struggles and dilemmas. At the end of the appointment, the governor’s human health services staff member was very appreciative of our presentation and said she would keep our points into consideration when she consults with Governor Brown. We have yet to hear the outcome of this