The Final Budget Cuts, Part Four: Economic Security
State investments in economic security ensure that people can survive difficult financial times and take steps to improve their quality of life. Families succeed when parents are secure in their ability to provide basic necessities for their children. Workers prosper when workplaces are safe and financial protections exist in cases of injury or job loss. And everyone in state benefits when people can meet their basic needs and find meaningful employment.
Even in times of prosperity, we all face the risk of job loss, disability, or family crisis. When the economy is strained, public investments in economic security matter even more.
WorkFirst: Federal funding is expected to pay for the growing need for WorkFirst, which provides temporary assistance for lower income families. There will be a reduction in state funding of $69 million through administrative reductions and "caseload management."
General Assistance-Unemployable: GA-U is a program that helps adults who are temporarily unable to work due to disability. The Governor's budget proposed eliminating GA-U altogether, but the enacted budget makes only a $25 million cut that will be achieved by aggressively facilitating transfers to federal programs and a change in how earned income is calculated.
