Pennsylvania Bill Would Reduce Food Stamp Benefits For Women Who Cannot Prove They Were Raped

[one...two...tree 2,762]

A Pennsylvania House bill seeks to limit the amount of food stamp assistance that low-income women receive based on the amount of children they give birth to while covered under the program.

Despite the fact that low-income women who give birth to children would logically need increased assistance to care for their larger family, Pennsylvania lawmakers — State Reps. RoseMarie Swanger ®, Tom Caltagirone (D), Mark Gillen ®, Keith Gillespie ®, Adam Harris ®, and Mike Tobash ® — don’t want their state’s food stamp program to provide additional benefits for that newborn. If a woman gives birth to a child who was conceived from rape, she may seek an exception to this rule so that her food stamp benefits aren’t slashed, but only if she can provide proof that she reported her sexual assault and her abuser’s identity to the police:

In determining the amount of assistance payments to a recipient family of benefits under the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Program, the department shall revise the schedule of benefits to be paid to the recipient family by

eliminating the increment in benefits under the program for which that family would otherwise be eligible as a result of the birth of a child conceived during the period in which the family is eligible for benefits under the TANF Program

. [...]

Elimination of benefits under subsection (d) shall not apply to any child conceived as a result of rape or incest if the department: (1) receives a non-notarized, signed statement from the pregnant woman

stating that she was a victim of rape or incest, as the case may be, and that she reported the crime, including the identity of the offender, if known, to a law enforcement agency having the requisite jurisdiction

or, in the case of incest where a pregnant minor is the victim, to the county child protective service agency and stating the name of the law enforcement agency or child protective service agency to which the report was made and the date such report was made.

The language of the bill goes on to note that a sexual assault victim applying for an exemption will be required to sign a statement affirming she understands that “false reports to law enforcement authorities are punishable by law,” and stipulates that Pennsylvania will report any “evidence of false statements or fraud” to the correct department, all the way up to the Attorney General’s office.

Aside from punishing women who have children — particularly low-income women who may not have reliable access to affordable contraception — the proposed bill perpetrates a dangerous attitude toward survivors of sexual assault. Forcing women to prove the legitimacy of their sexual assault, and warning them about the serious consequences of “crying rape” to cheat the system, puts forth the misguided assumption that victims of sexual violence are not to be believed. Furthermore, countless women choose not to report their rapists to the policebecause they fear repercussions from their abusers, who could threaten their lives. An estimated 54 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to the authorities.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/10/24/1083101/proposed-bill-food-stamp-benefits-raped/

[^_^ 5,021]

Encouraging more rape victims to report their rapes?

Terrible!

Wait, what?

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

So I take it there's a significant amount of women in PA getting impregnated by being raped and then they choose to have these babies and file for public assistance afterwards yes?

Edited October 24, 2012 by Bad_Daddy

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

They should drop thios nonsense and REQUIRE all applicants to attend 40 hours (aggragate) per weekk in work and/or school. Pay for their daycare.

Require three months bank statements and last 3 years tax returns for qualification. People often claim and collect from minimum wage jobs, do not claim all income (overtime, etc)have two jobs and claim one, etc. There needs to be a more thorough check of qualifications to PROTECT the people that really need this help from ABUSERS. As it is they only need to provide the previous months income verification. Lets see it for ONE YEAR.

Drop the nonsense about addl children and tighten the application process with very easily provided documentation. The problem will solve itself and there will be LESS people on food stamps and that means LESS poor people and that is a GOOD thing. Right Steven?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

They should drop thios nonsense and REQUIRE all applicants to attend 40 hours (aggragate) per weekk in work and/or school. Pay for their daycare.

Require three months bank statements and last 3 years tax returns for qualification. People often claim and collect from minimum wage jobs, do not claim all income (overtime, etc)have two jobs and claim one, etc. There needs to be a more thorough check of qualifications to PROTECT the people that really need this help from ABUSERS. As it is they only need to provide the previous months income verification. Lets see it for ONE YEAR.

Drop the nonsense about addl children and tighten the application process with very easily provided documentation. The problem will solve itself and there will be LESS people on food stamps and that means LESS poor people and that is a GOOD thing. Right Steven?

Go start your own thread about welfare reform. This about requiring women to prove their rape or risk having their food stamp benefits reduced.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

They should drop thios nonsense and REQUIRE all applicants to attend 40 hours (aggragate) per weekk in work and/or school. Pay for their daycare.

Require three months bank statements and last 3 years tax returns for qualification. People often claim and collect from minimum wage jobs, do not claim all income (overtime, etc)have two jobs and claim one, etc. There needs to be a more thorough check of qualifications to PROTECT the people that really need this help from ABUSERS. As it is they only need to provide the previous months income verification. Lets see it for ONE YEAR.

Drop the nonsense about addl children and tighten the application process with very easily provided documentation. The problem will solve itself and there will be LESS people on food stamps and that means LESS poor people and that is a GOOD thing. Right Steven?

[mawilson 2,133]

Do women who were raped need more food stamps than those who weren't raped?

Does rape make one really hungry?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Go start your own thread about welfare reform. This about requiring women to prove their rape or risk having their food stamp benefits reduced.

OK, let me rephrase. Women should not have to prove they were raped and should receive food stamp benfits for children born to them after they are an welfare/foosd stamps. Follow me so far?

Then they should have to show 3 months bank statements, 3 years tax returns, the state should verify their reported income with the state tax or labor dept. and they should have to be working and/or in school for 40 hours per week.

Better? Are you against PROTECTING the funds for people who need this benefit from people who abuse the system? Are you oppsed to education? Do you want the same guys that wrote this bill to handle our health care?

[Kathryn41 3,205]

A exchange of posts de-railing this thread and containing personal attacks has been removed. Please restrict your comments to the topic of the article and do not insult or make personal attacks at each other. Any further inappropriate comments from anyone will result in a thread ban for that poster(s).

Edited October 25, 2012 by Kathryn41

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

They should drop thios nonsense and REQUIRE all applicants to attend 40 hours (aggragate) per weekk in work and/or school. Pay for their daycare.

Require three months bank statements and last 3 years tax returns for qualification. People often claim and collect from minimum wage jobs, do not claim all income (overtime, etc)have two jobs and claim one, etc. There needs to be a more thorough check of qualifications to PROTECT the people that really need this help from ABUSERS. As it is they only need to provide the previous months income verification. Lets see it for ONE YEAR.

Drop the nonsense about addl children and tighten the application process with very easily provided documentation. The problem will solve itself and there will be LESS people on food stamps and that means LESS poor people and that is a GOOD thing. Right Steven?

and mandatory Birth control for anyone on Public assistance.

[catknit 144]

she may seek an exception to this rule so that her food stamp benefits aren’t slashed, but only if she can provide proof that she reported her sexual assault and her abuser’s identity to the police

AND

stating that she was a victim of rape or incest, as the case may be, and that she reported the crime, including the identity of the offender, if known, to a law enforcement agency having the requisite jurisdiction

Not really a good explanation in the article of what they are requesting - the "if known" adds some needed ambiguity. Take a case of abduction and brutal rape where the rapist isn't found.

However, in a truly weird defense of this whole mess [since I don't agree with the intent] there is that whole gray area of date rape*** that can get, well, legally weird. The whole "well, I was drunk and I guess I said yes a few times but I really meant no and maybe I said no and then I woke up feeling abused and disrespected so now I want him brought up on rape charges" kind of thing does happen. Not only that, I'm sure there are some pregnancies that must result from that. In this type of case, I don't see why the guy involved isn't just hit up for child support - unless, of course, there is nothing to get. Then what happens - does the mom just watch her hungry kid starve???

***I think there are many true cases of date rape. I would never off-hand just blow off someone claiming sexual abuse. It's horrible, painful, and beyond my comprehension the pain any sex crime victim feels. But, there are those "regret" rapes that come out of the wood work every now and again that make me feel as though the "victim" is really grasping at straws. Especially when both parties are young and drunk and there is no clarity of what really happened...It sucks that the victim feels regret for the experience but is it a crime? What if she really can't remember she said no - but thinks maybe she did? Does that warrant an arrest and charges? Again - messy. Would this type of law encourage pressing charges if no support could be gained through family court???

[Danno 1,228]

Clearly the spirit of the law rests here.

People collecting food stamps make bad choices, there is a limit to how much per month the working people of Pa. will subsidize.

A woman who can show her pregnancy was not due to her own poor choices will be cut a little slack.

[rade2rising 205]

and what if they have many kids. what if they claim they have been raped multiple times?