Advocates for low-income Pennsylvanians are sounding the alarm about a package of bills in Harrisburg that places serious roadblocks in front of anyone seeking assistance through food stamps, welfare or other social services.
House Republicans have introduced eight bills under the name WelFAIR (Fairness, Accountability, Integrity and Responsibility). Some of the proposed requirements include: photo identification on benefit cards; applicant fingerprinting; drug testing for anyone with a drug conviction in the past five years; confirmation of eligibility through 19 different state databases; and turning a current welfare-to-work grant into a loan that recipients would have to pay back.
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