Advocates call for more cash assistance to help families in need

An increase in temporary cash assistance for families in need coupled with a controversial delete-all amendment that would significantly decrease that amount, led to stiff partisan debate in the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee Thursday.

The Minnesota Family Investment Program helps low-income families in crisis with cash assistance and food support for a limited period of time — no more than 60 months over a person’s lifetime. Often, parents on the program don’t qualify for other programs, including unemployment, making MFIP “the safety net’s safety net,” Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester) said.

But the amount of cash assistance hasn’t changed since 1986 — remaining at $532 a month for a family of three – despite significant increases in the cost of living, said Rep. Nels Pierson (R-Rochester).

WATCH House Health and Human Services Finance Committee discussion of the bill 

As introduced, HF1603, sponsored by Pierson, would increase cash assistance by $100 each month beginning in January 2018 and require that amount to be annually adjusted for inflation. While the bill doesn’t go as far as some would like, it would make a tangible difference in the lives of people on the program, DFL committee members said.

The amended version of Pierson’s bill, however, would only raise aid by $10 a month. It would also cover the cost of the increases by annually redirecting $3 million currently being used to support another program that provides other supports to poor families and encourages local innovation.

Pierson said that this amendment makes HF1603 “budget neutral” and would “get the ball rolling,” but DFL committee members objected, saying that the amended version of the bill was wildly inadequate.

The bill was tabled in a 13-7 roll-call vote along party lines after Rep. Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul) asked Pierson to withdraw his amendment. A companion, SF806, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Hayden (DFL-Mpls), awaits action by the Senate Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee.