Friday, June 14, 2013
Senate Republican Caucus Press Release on Welfare Reform
Today the Senate Republican
Caucus distributed the following press release regarding legislation aimed to
reform the state’s welfare system:
BOSTON – With the promise of
yet another bill on Beacon Hill aimed at improving a welfare system in
desperate need of real reform, the Senate Republican Caucus is vowing to take
action on whatever legislative vehicle comes before the Senate to ensure that
meaningful reforms are incorporated within a system wrought with fraudulence
and a lack of integrity.
Last year, the Legislature
made substantial reforms to the welfare system in the Fiscal Year 2013 budget,
many of which were championed by the Senate Republican Caucus, including
charging recipients for replacement EBT cards; prohibiting the purchase of
certain goods and services with EBT cards, such as alcohol, tobacco, tattoos
and jewelry; and imposing penalties on recipients and store owners who violate
these provisions. Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester),
Assistant Minority Leader Robert Hedlund (R-Weymouth), Minority Whip Richard
Ross (R-Wrentham) and Ranking Senate Ways and Means Committee member Michael
Knapik (R-Westfield) believe that it is now time for the Legislature to build
on those reforms to ensure the integrity of the state’s public assistance
programs.
“How many audits is it going
to take before we stop talking about reforms and start taking action?” said
Senator Tarr. “We shouldn’t be contemplating spending billions of dollars
in the state budget and adding millions of dollars in new taxes when we are
allowing welfare dollars to be spent in the name of the deceased. It is
intolerable that public assistance dollars continue to be wasted on those who
fraudulently abuse them while others deservedly need them.”
The Senate Republican Caucus believes that any welfare reform measure – regardless of whether it originates in the House or the Senate – should not move forward without these components:
•
Ending the shell game of issuing a temporary placeholder number in lieu of an
accurate Social Security number;
•
Ensuring that people who are in the country illegally cannot displace people
who are here legally on the waiting list for state subsidized housing, similar
to the policy used for federally subsidized housing;
•
Implementing the most vigorous system possible for verification of eligibility
and identity by requiring the cross checking of all available state, federal,
and commercial databases;
•
Promoting a clear path of information sharing for law enforcement, the Bureau
of Special Investigations and DTA by designating a law enforcement liaison to
ensure proper coordination and communication in the investigation of fraud and
abuse;
•
Providing the Inspector General with the authority and the resources to operate
an independent division of program oversight and integrity to ensure continued
and sustained oversight of the state’s welfare system;
•
Including the DTA website and fraud hotline on all EBT cards; and
•
Ensuring EBT cardholders and those individuals who are authorized users are in
fact the ones using them by verifying their identity through such tools as
photos, fingerprints or other means of identification.
“We are going to insist that
these common sense reforms are included in whatever bill moves forward,” said
Senator Tarr.
“Given the extent and growing
evidence of abuse and waste in our welfare system, reform must be meaningful,
effective and have lasting results,” said Senator Hedlund. “The reforms
we continue to push for will help ensure that the millions of dollars in abuse
and waste instead go to helping our veterans, elderly and families in
need. Passing these reforms is essential to restoring the integrity of a
very important function of state and local government.”
Recent reports by the
Inspector General’s office and the State Auditor’s office have shed light on a
number of ongoing problems at DTA, including multiple EBT recipients associated
with the same Social Security number, multiple Social Security numbers being
used by one individual, and some recipients having no Social Security number.
“While Interim Commissioner
Stacey Monahan has been responsive at addressing these deficiencies within the
welfare system, the magnitude of the problem clearly demands corresponding
legislative action,” said Senator Tarr.
“The Legislature has been
made acutely aware of the frustrations and concerns that are felt by our
constituents as they witness the many issues plaguing the Commonwealth’s public
assistance programs,” Senator Knapik said. “Reports from the Auditor and
the Inspector General have confirmed major deficiencies exist within these
programs. As stewards of the public purse, we have an obligation to respond and
address any fraudulent or negligent use of public funds. I am pleased to join
my colleagues in supporting these common sense reforms to ensure the long-term
viability of these safeguards.”
“It has become evident that
our public assistance programs are plagued with abuses and inefficiencies. By
implementing these reforms, we will provide proper safeguards against potential
fraud in the broken system and ensure that these funds are reserved for those
individuals and families who are truly in need,” said Senator Ross.
“Now is the time for decisive
legislative action that gets to the heart of real reform. We can’t afford
to have important measures lost in a flurry of bills and a tangled legislative
process,” said Senator Tarr.
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Labels:
Welfare Reform