New requirements for welfare recipients in Iowa are being considered — and some are being shelved — in the Iowa Senate. Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, has sponsored four bills on the subject.
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Bill backers say it’s aimed at parents with school-aged children. The other proposal would require welfare recipients to report their income every three months to confirm they’re still eligible for benefits.
Charlie Wishman of the Iowa Federation of Labor suggests there’s a better approach to moving people off welfare.
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Two other welfare-related proposals in the Iowa Senate have been tabled. One attempted to require food stamp recipients to show some sort of photo identification at the store. The other would have imposed new work requirements on adult Medicaid recipients who live above the poverty line — but state officials can’t say how many of the 170-thousand that would have been affected aren’t already working.
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