Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov
The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –
Tennessee Senators passed a bill that would reinstate a work requirement for anyone receiving temporary government assistance.
Senate Bill 2071, sponsored by Senator Jack Johnson (R-Franklin-District 23), passed as amended with 27 ayes and 6 nays.
The only senators voting against the bill were Democrats from the Memphis and Nashville areas: Senator Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis-District 29), Senator Heidi Campbell (D-Nashville-District 20), Senator Brenda Gilmore (D-Nashville-District 19), Senator Sara Kyle (D-Memphis-District 30), Senator London Lamar (D-Memphis-District 33), and Senator Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville-District 21).
The bill would require that all individuals ages 18-49 who are able-bodied and without dependents must work at least 20 hours per week, or participate in job training or volunteer work, in order to receive government benefits.
This requirement was previously in effect but had been waived during the COVID-19 pandemic. If passed, the bill would simply reinstate that requirement and limit the exemptions that are allowed.
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According to the bill, the department would be required to obtain approval from the general assembly before they could provide any exemptions to the work requirement put in place for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
An amendment to the bill would add an additional requirement that the Department of Human Services submit an annual report detailing any waivers to the work requirement for the previous fiscal year. The report must also include specific data regarding the number of benefit recipients and the amount of those benefits, the number of recipients who are subject to the work requirement, and the number of recipients participating in the job training program.
Senator Kyle stated that she would be voting against the bill because of the many individuals who serve as full-time caregivers who would be in violation under the new legislation.
Those sentiments were also stated by Senator Yarbro.
“There are many people who are doing real work, the work that we need them to do, and will not qualify in this circumstance. The second thing that I want to raise to the body’s attention is that this legislation, which creates effective a disincentive to participation in SNAP, runs completely counter to the biggest proposal that we’re considering this year, which is TISA, which creates a really big incentive for local governments and local school systems and potentially charters and private schools to engage in encouraging people to sign up for these benefits. We’re both incentivizing and deincentivizing the same thing at the same exact time and that just doesn’t make any sense at all,” stated Yarbro.
In the end, the bill was passed with a constitutional majority.
The companion House Bill 2096 will be voted on by Representatives on the House floor on April 18th, 2022.
If you support this legislation, you can find your Representative’s contact information HERE.
About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others. He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History. Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com
