For many single parents, going to school, working a part-time job and raising young children while living in poverty is next to impossible. It is often the dream of higher education that is left to the wayside, as families struggle to make ends meet. This year, legislation has been introduced in the state Senate , that would enable welfare parents to go to school for two years without the burden of an additional work requirement. SB 5201, also known as the Higher Education for Lifelong Progress or HELP bill would reduce the barriers for families on welfare to enroll in vocational education programs that will help ensure that they can gain the skills for a higher wage job. This bi-partisan bill was passed out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee on March 8th and should soon be scheduled for a vote of the full Senate.
Education is often the key to escaping poverty.
Adults with higher education are much more likely to secure stable employment that pays a living wage. Contact your state Senator and ask them to vote in favor of SB 5201. On top of this serious budget crisis, the state will now have to pay for some of the earthquake damages out of the state capital budget but. The present emergency must not be used as an excuse to sweep aside the needs of our state s most vulnerable citizens. Many legislators have been displaced from their offices by the earthquake, and it is very much on their minds as they look at cranes working on the Capitol building.