The state of California is finalizing plans to do away with a law that penalizes low-income mothers who have more children while receiving welfare benefits.
For over two decades, the Maximum Family Grant (MFG) Rule has unfairly targeted mothers requiring welfare assistance to penalize them for having additional children after enrolling in the state-funded benefits program. Under the law, mothers are able to receive monetary assistance for their existing children, however, the state blatantly refuses to provide additional financial support for any children born to mothers after they’ve enrolled in the program.
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Many believed the rule to be racist and classist (not to mention obviously sexist), as it often affected women and mothers of color at alarming rates.
According to Think Progress, existing financial provisions in the California state budget are available to repeal the MFG Rule and the budget recently passed off the floor of the state legislature with full support from California Governor Jerry Brown late Tuesday evening. Once the discriminatory policy is officially removed, a whopping 93,000 families enrolled in the welfare assistance program will become eligible to receive an additional $138 per moth for each child that was previously exempt under the MFG rule.
California is the latest of seven states total to repeal laws that include a welfare assistance family cap.
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