Website: cpr-mn.org Email: info@cpr-mn.org
Legislative Education Notice (8th
in SERIES)
Dear ______________________________________
RE: BILL # HF 1031/SF 974
Citizens Explore
Separation of Powers
Does the legislature represent
the citizens
of their respective districts,
or do they echo the DHS?
What does the William Mitchell Law Review say?
“Such unbridled delegations of power to an agency
place the most fundamental policy decisions in the hands of bureaucrats who, no
matter how “expert,” are nonetheless unelected. It represents a legislative
abandonment of the legislature’s duty to define the public interest before
authorizing an agency to pursue that interest.”
“Just as that power has been delegated by statute in
the first place, it can also be abolished, modified, or limited in some way by
legislation. Of course, legislators are constantly fiddling with agency power,
limiting or expanding it as they see fit. Limiting agency authority in reaction
to a legislative judgment that the agency is too broadly empowered is only one
approach to legislative control. Is surely behooves all legislators, even in
the hustle and bustle of a busy session, to accept responsibility for questions
of an essentially political nature.
Legislators must bring all available foresight to every decision to
delegate power …”
SOURCE: “Legislative
Oversight of Administrative Agencies in
by Neil W. Hamilton and J. David Prince,
William Mitchell Law Review, St. Paul,
1986, Vol. 12, No. 2, pages 229-230.
What does DHS Commissioner Kevin Goodno say?
“As part of the executive branch of state
government, the Department’s role is to implement legislation that has been
enacted, not to develop legislative proposals except as they relate to the
Governor’s budget or initiatives … we are more than happy to provide technical
assistance to the authors … if assistance is requested.”
SOURCE: Letter from the DHS Commissioner
(copy available upon request)
Welfare
laws are meant to move people to
self-sufficiency; however, the
Title IV-D program takes the self-sufficient, financially independent,
and even (by most standards) affluent, and
moves them to government dependency for as much as 20 years or more. Typically, people are outraged to learn about this
loophole that is patently absurd and substantially unfair. Citizens of a
democracy have a duty to hold their government accountable.
Federal/state/county tax dollars are being squandered, while the needy are
being forsaken. The lifeblood and foundation
of our nation is the functioning
family. We should be working to bring
people together; we should not be using public money for IV-D which actively tears vulnerable families apart,
and stifles parental cooperation.
As stated by an attorney on AM1500, on Tuesday March 2, 2004:
“if there was no conflict before the government
[Title IV-D] system got involved, there sure is after.”
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EVERY
except for ONE,
has either approved, shown
interest, or given some level of
support to HF1031/SF974.
Topic Clarify Eligibility Standards for
Title IV-D welfare services.
WHY? Currently,
Title IV-D is the ONLY public aid program where NO eligibility standards are
applied, at all! No
means-test, no income cap for services. If legislators pass this bill, the
state and counties will have available money and people resources to transfer
to other programs. As much as $100 million is at stake. This could be a major
source of funds to help abate the budget deficit problem and save programs in
jeopardy. You decide how the money will
be spent!
Because legislators
ignore the obvious cuts to the Title IV-D program,
government is forced to continue cutting programs to the poor, needy, and vulnerable
in other public aid programs, (i.e. nursing homes, schools, child-care, &
care for mentally ill),
while we unnecessarily provide millions of dollars
to non-needy and affluent in Title IV-D.
Be
Part of the Solution If you agree this change should
be considered, let CPR know what you are willing to do, to actively participate
in this reform?
We have experienced undivided cooperative nonpartisan support
in both the House and the Senate.
Curiously, our biggest obstacle has been the prevailing declaration by
legislators:
“But you won’t go anywhere with this bill
unless
the DHS is on your side.”
The DHS has been overtly opposed to this bill for reasons we can only speculate.
This bill does challenge their current over-reach of power, authority, and
unnecessary involvement in every non-public assistance family case enrolled in
the Title IV-D program.
Are you tired of the unsubstantiated DHS frequently parroted response, inferring:
“the feds make us do it.”
I ask you to challenge
the status quo. Call CPR for details.
Don’t Wait for the
DHS, Join The Momentum!!
The deadline for
this year has arrived, PLEASE ASK THE COMMITTEE Chairs
Betzold and Boudreau TO HEAR HF1031 AND SF974, AND VOTE
YES FOR ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS!
Name:_________________________________(print) ____________________________________(signature)
Address:___________________________________ City:
Phone
Number: ____________________________ Email:
____________________________
From A Constituent and/or Interested Citizen Involved in Community
Solutions
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