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The "Show Me State" shows taxpayers they're serious about stopping welfare fraud
Hot Air.com ^ | February 18, 2016 | KRISTINA RIBALI

Posted on 02/18/2016 6:08:36 PM PST by Kaslin

Welfare fraud is an expensive problem that taxpayers everywhere are paying for, but in Missouri there is a movement in the state legislature to help stop the fraud.

State Representative Marsha Haefner has filed legislation that “will allow the Department of Social Services to contract with a third party vendor and establish a eligibility verification system.” This is a central component of the Stop the Scam reforms being implemented recently in several other states. Modern technology allows multiple databases to be compared and can determine if people who are signed up for welfare services are actually qualify for taxpayer funded support.

Rep. Haefner told reporters that, “This is an attempt at bending the curve of reining in welfare costs. We'll make sure that the people who get welfare are actually eligible to receive it.”

"We want to spend money on the right people for the right reasons, rather than those who don't have the need," Rep. Haefner said.

As she pointed out, “It’s all taxpayer money.”

Part of the job of each legislator and governor is not to waste the hard earned dollars of their taxpayers. It’s encouraging to see that Rep. Haefner agrees.

This is part of a greater welfare reform effort in Missouri that began during their last legislative session in 2015. Despite a veto from the governor, legislators pushed through a common sense reform bill into law with an override from both chambers at the state capitol. The bill focused on reforming Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) benefits.

The bill helps Missouri welfare recipients take important steps toward transitioning out of a lifetime of poverty and toward self-sufficiency. The law now requires “welfare recipients to take immediate steps to seek employment in order to receive benefits.” The money saved from these reforms will help those who need it most.

According to lawmakers, the state will “take the savings generated by these reforms and invest them in child care, education, transportation and job training assistance for participants in the program.”

With last year's efforts and the new legislation being proposed by Rep. Haefner, and supported by current Speaker Todd Richardson too, Missouri should be well on its way to providing a more prosperous future for their citizens; pulling them out of poverty and setting them on the road to a brighter future.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; US: Missouri
KEYWORDS: ebt; kristinaribali; missouri; welfare; welfarefraud; welfarereform
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To: HiTech RedNeck
A lot of these people did pay in, out of their earnings, before falling on hard times

You're looking at government as a rational entity that actually follows reasonable processes. It isn't. Any money you pay in is immediately gone forever to be squandered on things like 0's lavish vacations, bridges to nowhere, salaries for an every increasing horde of drones whose sole purpose is to think up ways to make it harder and more expensive for the rest of us to live.

Besides paying someone welfare for making poor life choices is not going to help them make smart life choices. I was in a Walmart a couple of times during the period when the horde of Katrina refugees hit Atlanta. Never saw so much beer and DVD's going out the door in a similar time period before or since.

21 posted on 02/18/2016 8:39:22 PM PST by from occupied ga (Your government is your most dangerous enemy)
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To: from occupied ga

Nobody has a crystal ball and judging a “poor life choice” in and of itself is quite a risky venture.

Older “workfare” schemes, even if it seemed pointless make work, actually tended to work better, from the little I have seen. They would have screened out people hell bent on being bums, while those willing to do something constructive with the benefit were still encouraged. We could do worse than to bring this back.

Even if the government was living hand to mouth, though, it still benefited from those who kicked in and still can benefit them in the future. This is not the ideal forum, granted, because it is so easily politically abused. However, I believe God has let it step up because the church accepted the devil’s blandishments to be lazy itself.


22 posted on 02/19/2016 6:41:50 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: from occupied ga

By the way, the worst occupation of Georgia isn’t even the North (assuming you’re waiting for the South to rise again). It’s the devil. The devil has come down to Georgia and yes, Jesus will kick him out (works a lot better than just a Johnny with a fiddle) BUT... Jesus has to be invited. Sometimes churches, even in deep South, seem to be more interested in making Him a cameo appearance while the preacher is the big show... than making Him the star.


23 posted on 02/19/2016 6:44:42 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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To: from occupied ga

Also the workfare (which could even be focused on charitable work itself, to revive two birds with one breath so to speak) would alleviate the “boredom while waiting” problem. Could be that much of these movies and beer are being consumed out of sheer boredom. People actually will NOT choose to be lazy if they see a point to the work. This is why things like Habitat for Humanity prove so popular (memories of Jimmy Carter, one of the better things he did, though his peanut pessimism in other areas and his languishing in liberalism really torpedoed his chances).


24 posted on 02/19/2016 6:51:20 AM PST by HiTech RedNeck (Embrace the Lion of Judah and He will roar for you and teach you to roar too. See my page.)
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