Welfare Gets A Big Overhaul Senate Bill Cuts Money For Kids; Raps Men Who Impregnate Teens

Sat., April 15, 1995

David Ammons Associated Press

The Senate on Friday approved a welfare overhaul that includes time limits and a work requirement for recipients - and a “ziplock” penalty against men who get teen welfare mothers pregnant repeatedly.

The measure, SB6062, passed 41-7 and headed to the House, where conservatives already have approved what they call one of America’s toughest reform bills. Negotiators will have to iron out the differences.

Minority Senate Republicans, again using a Democratic senator’s absence to amend Democratic legislation, forced through a partial “family cap” that stops the practice of giving welfare mothers an additional $100 a month whenever they have a new child.

Instead, the family would get about $50 a month for the first new child, but nothing extra for any succeeding children.

Democratic critics said that punishes the baby for being born into a welfare family. But sponsors, including Sen. Harold Hochstatter, R-Moses Lake, said society needs to require restraint and responsibility, rather than financially rewarding “those who call a child into being” when they have no money.

The House has an even stronger “family cap,” an outright ban on boosting checks for new babies.

Senators later accepted Sen. Mike Heavey’s amendment that balances the “family cap” penalty by also penalizing men who get teenage welfare recipients pregnant, but fail to stay current with child support.

His plan, which he laughingly called “a ziplock” amendment, would make it a gross misdemeanor to impregnate a female welfare recipient under age 18 for a second time, and a felony to get her pregnant three or more times, if he doesn’t pay child support.

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