We're working through the proposed budgets and will be back in your inbox with updates soon, but in the meantime
the Senate Ways and Means Committee only has until Monday, February 26 to pass bills out of their committee, and SHB 2007 and ESHB 1652 haven't been scheduled for hearings yet! These bills would reinstate policies that made TANF a more effective social safety net before the Great Recession, and will help our state's lowest-income families meet their basic needs.
SHB 2007 would permanently reinstate broad hardship time limit exemptions for families on TANF with children under two, taking important steps toward picking up the policy in place during the COVID-19 pandemic and making an initial investment in racial equity for benefits programs.
When broad hardship exemptions were temporarily restored during the pandemic, access to help during times of need significantly increased, with families of color benefiting most. Unfortunately, the temporary restoration of broad hardship exemptions expired in June 2023, reinstating recession-era policy with documented racist outcomes that has already begun kicking people off of TANF who still need (and otherwise qualify for) benefits.
ESHB 1652 would reinstate the full child support pass-through for families on TANF, ensuring that children receive 100% of child support payments made by non-custodial parents.
From June 2021 to August 2023, the state withheld $37 million in child support payments, while families only received $9 million. Child support payments should go to children, not to the state, and ESHB 1652 would make that the reality in Washington.
Together, these bills reinstate policy that has made it easier for families living on a low income to access the resources they need to meet their basic needs, when they need it.
Tell the Senate Ways and Means Committee: Hear and pass SHB 2007 and ESHB 1652 to invest in meeting Washingtonian's basic needs!
