Canton's State House Delegation Supports Welfare Reform

Canton's State House delegation - State Senator Brian A. Joyce (D-Milton) and State Representative William C. Galvin (D- Canton) - announced they had joined their colleagues in supporting reforms to the state's welfare system.

The push for reform comes after a number of recent stories detailing abuse or fraud in the state's welfare system.

"A recent state audit found more than 1,000 cases of welfare benefits being paid to people who had died or people using Social Security numbers of people who had died. While Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration disputed those figures, the audit and other recent investigations have amped up the pressure to overhaul the system," according to an Associated Press article posted on Boston.com.  

The house and senate bills offer a number of reforms, most notably the requirement of photo ID on EBT cards. 

A final bill would need the approval of Governor Deval Patrick. 

The house and senate versions of the bill are detailed below in press releases from the offices of Sen. Brian A. Joyce and Reps. Louis Kafka and William Galvin:

SENATE

Senator Brian A. Joyce joined his colleagues in the Senate to pass comprehensive welfare reform that will increase accountability and transparency within the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) and support programs designed to get individuals valuable job training to reenter the workforce.

“These reforms will provide the accountability when it comes to the proper use of tax dollars,” said Joyce. “Eliminating waste and fraud within DTA’s system will result in a greater amount of funding for individuals and families who desperately need it to get back on their feet, into a job and further contributing to our economy.”

The bill will:

• Provide for the hiring of additional fraud investigators within the DTA;

Numerous amendments that Joyce supported also ended up in the final version of the bill including using the RMV database of pictures for EBT cards to cut down on the cost of implementation, requiring the DTA to maintain a database of their EBT cards to prevent theft, and doubling the possible jail time for the trafficking EBT cards, among others.

The bill now heads to the House for consideration.

HOUSE

State Representative William C. Galvin (D- Canton) joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in passing legislation that provides immediate funds for reforms to the electronic benefit transfer (EBT) system and the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA).

The bill updates EBT oversight measures included in the FY ’14 budget and advances continuous efforts by the House to address and prevent EBT abuse. The legislation also allocates supplementary funds for existing appropriations and projects.

“This supplemental budget adds necessary funds to assist families in need of housing, allows for the hiring of teens through summer job programs, aids with costs incurred for snow removal, and helps victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.  I am also pleased that this legislation includes provisions to address some of the problems with fraud that we have seen with the EBT system, without hurting those who rely on these cards to feed their families,” stated Representative Galvin.

Since 2011 the House has enacted numerous welfare reforms including prohibiting certain purchases using EBT cards and criminalizing the use of an EBT card in any manner not authorized by law. The new legislation includes the following measures:

• Requires a photo ID on EBT cards for each eligible household member over the age of 18 and establishes a timeframe for implementation;

• Establishes a Bureau of Program Integrity within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to monitor and correct deficiencies in the programs administered by the office;

• Requires the EOHHS to create a computerized integrated eligibility system to monitor eligibility before funds are dispersed;

• Establishes a state verification and eligibility task force made up of the State Auditor, Attorney General, Inspector General, Treasurer, and Secretary of Administration and Finance. The task force will coordinate efforts with the Bureau of Program Integrity;

• Allows for the sharing of tax return information with agencies that provide benefit programs;

• Requires the development of a system in which DTA will work with law enforcement agencies to use fingerprinting comparisons in instances of trafficking and fraud;

• Prohibits out-of-state EBT card use, except in states contiguous to Massachusetts;

• Requires businesses to apply online to accept EBT cards at point of sale;

• Requires the DTA to submit its annual report the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means on or before November 1st of each year.

In addition to the welfare reform measures, the bill authorizes $56 million for road-clearing bills, $10 million for the summer jobs program and $13.5 million to cover the costs of state and municipal elections. This legislation also provides funds for victims of the marathon bombing to help modify their homes or move into more accessible housing.

The bill now moves to the Senate.