By: Kate Giammarise
Published: January 26, 2017
A case before the state Supreme Court examines how the Legislature enacted a law that cut a cash assistance program for the poorest Pennsylvanians.
The lawsuit stretches back to 2012, when the then-Republican-controlled General Assembly passed — and then-Republican Gov. Tom Corbett signed — Act 80, which eliminated the General Assistance program.
The program supported more than 60,000 Pennsylvanians, many of whom were disabled or otherwise unable to work, with about $200 in monthly cash assistance.
Ending the program saved the state an estimated $150 million annually.
The lawsuit, which was brought by several former assistance recipients and a number of human service groups, alleges that the bill that became Act 80 was passed in an unconstitutional way — crammed full of various subjects in violation of the so-called “single-subject rule,” which says a bill can only deal with one topic. In addition to ending General Assistance, the same bill created a pilot program for 20 counties to consolidate a number of human service programs into a single block grant, changed the timing of a work requirement for Pennsylvanians applying for welfare, and imposed a tax on nursing homes, among other things.
To read more, go to http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2017/01/26/PA-Supreme-Court-will-examine-ending-of-General-Assistance-program/stories/201701230001.
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