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SUCCESS: Together, we saved TANF & Disability Lifeline!

Visit the campaign page to find out all the latest in our fight to

Save Our Safety Net

We took the fight to Olympia to preserve and restore vital public programs that help get our economy back on track.

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We are proud to share these 2012 legislative accomplishments with you.

We passed significant consumer protections:

HB 1552- Garnishment

This bill allows consumers to keep more money to live on after a wage garnishment. These new protections may allow an individual worker to keep approximately $120 more per month, providing much-needed financial relief.

HB 2614- Foreclosure Prevention

This bill builds on the strength of last year’s Foreclosure Fairness law by streamlining the mediation process and providing added protections for mediators, as well as for homeowners while they work toward saving their home and most valuable asset.

SB 6155- Debt Adjusters

This bill puts reasonable and fair regulations on for-profit debt adjusters (sometimes called debt settlement), helping to prevent deceptive practices that hurt families who are attempting to regain their financial stability.

We also stood strong and protected vital public programs:

SB 6411-Take Back the (TANF) Box

This bill increases transparency and accountability in our state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program by allowing legislators to make decisions on how TANF is administered. Previously, the Governor’s office made all of the decisions about TANF (also called the TANF “box”), allowing the public few opportunities to provide input on the program or its funding. By moving control of the TANF box to the 149 members of the legislature, SB 6411 provides Poverty Action members 149 opportunities to influence how TANF is managed.

Defending Our Safety Net & Restoring Cuts

Last fall, we launched an aggressive campaign to maintain the integrity of our state’s safety net. Together, our advocacy, paired with real stories from members like you, prevented new cuts to TANF, Disability Lifeline Medical, State Food Assistance, State Family Assistance, and the Housing and Essential Needs (HEN) program.

And finally, we were able to restore a 2011 cut to Working Connections Child Care. By restoring eligibility to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) from 175% FPL, we were able to bring back 1,000 subsidized childcare slots for working parents. Furthermore, the TANF large family cap was restored to the 2011 level, returning full benefits to nearly 2,000 families, including many refugee families.