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State Poised To Begin Welfare Reform As Feds Fight, Idaho Passes Legislation Necessary To Change System

By Betsy Z. Russell betsyr@spokesman.com(208) 336-2854

Idaho is poised to move ahead with welfare reform, whether or not the federal government acts.

Five of the eight bills that made up Gov. Phil Batt’s welfare reform package passed the Legislature this session. Three already have been signed into law, and the other two are likely to be signed within a week.

“We got everything we really needed,” Batt said Friday.

The package envisions changing welfare in Idaho into a temporary program that teaches recipients job skills and pushes them toward self-sufficiency.

The state had hoped to enact its program under looser federal rules promised as part of Congressional welfare reform. But Congress hasn’t agreed on welfare reform legislation. Failing that, Idaho will press ahead by trying to get waivers from federal rules, said Judy Brooks, state welfare administrator.

“It will not be nearly as easy, nor as fast, to improve welfare reform without welfare reform at the national level,” Brooks said. “That does not mean we won’t pursue all waivers very aggressively. We have every intention of implementing 100 percent of the … governor’s package.”

The three bills that didn’t make it this year weren’t the key parts of the Idaho package, which was developed by a council appointed by Batt that held hearings across the state.

“The message that the bills were intended to give … is that it’s not OK not to pay your child support,” Brooks said.

The surviving package includes a crackdown on child support violators, with a law that suspends driver’s, hunting, fishing and occupational licenses of parents who refuse to pay child support or comply with visitation orders.

The package envisions increased child support collections, along with the lifetime limit on cash benefits, helping fund child-care and job training.

Some of the measures, like the license-suspension bill, can go into effect regardless of federal action or waivers. Brooks said Idaho will move right ahead with those.

Even before the license-suspension bill passed, Brooks said, people started calling up the Health and Welfare Department and inquiring about paying their delinquent child support.

“All of the regions, the field offices, have had calls from people wanting to make arrangements, and payments have been made. That’s on the publicity alone.”

The hope is that Idaho will suspend few licenses, but will instead prod parents to pay up. Thirty-two other states had that result with similar laws.

“It’s already served as a good incentive,” Brooks said.

The bills killed by the Legislature were:

SB1461, which would have kicked elected officials out of office if they didn’t pay child support or comply with visitation orders. The measure passed the Senate unanimously, but died in the House.

SB1438, under which public employees would have lost their jobs for the same reason. It died in a House committee.

SB 1305, which would have made it a crime to aid or abet someone in the non-payment of child support. Health and Welfare workers said that’s not common, but sometimes an employer will pay a parent under the table to avoid child support or otherwise help them evade it. The state wanted to be able to prosecute it when it happens, but that bill also died in a House committee.

“They were part of a package,” Brooks said, “but they don’t substantially impact the ability to do welfare reform in Idaho.”

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: RESPONSIBILITY, LIMITS AMONG KEYS TO WELFARE REFORM The five key bills that passed were: SB 1298, which makes parents financially responsible for their minor children’s babies. SB 1304, which suspends hunting, fishing and other licenses for parents who refuse to pay child support or don’t comply with visitation orders. SB 1299, which allows the state to pay workers’ compensation insurance for welfare recipients who are receiving unpaid on-the-job training. That’s key to finding job training at private companies for the recipients. SB 1307, which sets up a simple, voluntary process for establishing paternity. That saves the state from a costly court process that now must occur for welfare cases and child support. SB 1306, which authorizes the Department of Health and Welfare to issue new rules for welfare. This is the bill that allows the biggest changes envisioned in the package: A 24-month lifetime limit on cash assistance; a new requirement that all welfare recipients must work or learn basic job skills, including new moms; and state-paid child support while welfare parents work.

This sidebar appeared with the story: RESPONSIBILITY, LIMITS AMONG KEYS TO WELFARE REFORM The five key bills that passed were: SB 1298, which makes parents financially responsible for their minor children’s babies. SB 1304, which suspends hunting, fishing and other licenses for parents who refuse to pay child support or don’t comply with visitation orders. SB 1299, which allows the state to pay workers’ compensation insurance for welfare recipients who are receiving unpaid on-the-job training. That’s key to finding job training at private companies for the recipients. SB 1307, which sets up a simple, voluntary process for establishing paternity. That saves the state from a costly court process that now must occur for welfare cases and child support. SB 1306, which authorizes the Department of Health and Welfare to issue new rules for welfare. This is the bill that allows the biggest changes envisioned in the package: A 24-month lifetime limit on cash assistance; a new requirement that all welfare recipients must work or learn basic job skills, including new moms; and state-paid child support while welfare parents work.