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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Murray Seeks Help For Abused Welfare Reform Break Sought For Domestic Violence Victims

Les Blumenthal Scripps-Mcclatchy

Sen. Patty Murray, invoking the slaying of a Tacoma police officer two weeks ago, urged the Senate on Wednesday to temporarily allow domestic violence victims to remain on the welfare rolls.

The Washington Democrat said a provision in last year’s welfare reform package requiring that welfare recipients find a job or attend job-training classes could leave domestic violence victims vulnerable to additional abuse. Such victims may have left their homes and sought help, but if a batterer found out where they were working or where their children were attending day care they could be subjected to further abuse, Murray said.

“This amendment is absolutely vital to these women, their families, the communities they live in and for the police who are often caught in the middle of domestic violence disputes,” Murray said. She called for passage of her amendment to a human services appropriation bills.

Murray said of the 11 police officers killed in the line of duty over the past 15 years in the Puget Sound area, four of them, including Tacoma police officer William Lowry, had been slain after being called to a domestic violence dispute.

Two other Tacoma police officers were wounded in the incident, in which a gunman had threatened his wife at work hours before the shooting.

“He is gone,” Murray said of Lowry during a speech on the Senate floor. “He left a 1-year-old child. Since then, I have heard from many police officers about how risky it is for them to respond to domestic violence cases.”

Murray’s amendment has passed the Senate three times previously, attached to various budget and spending bills. But each time it has been killed by House and Senate negotiators reaching compromises in private conference committees.

“When this amendment gets behind closed doors, women are once again abused and it’s been stripped from the bills,” Murray said.

While 27 states have already taken steps to lessen the impact of welfare reform on domestic violence victims, Murray said there is concern they could be penalized when the Department of Health and Human Services passes out welfare money unless Congress acts to clarify the law.

Under the new welfare reform law, states are allowed to exempt 20 percent of their recipients from the limit of five years on welfare. Under Murray’s amendment, domestic violence victims would not be included in that 20 percent.

“This would be only a temporary waiver,” Murray said. “We want these women to work so they establish their own economic security. But we don’t want to put them in an abusive situation.”