Under welfare rules adopted by the State Legislature in 1997, recipients can receive up to five years of benefits during their entire lifetime. The first cut-offs will occur during the next governor's watch in the year 2002. That's why candidates like Mike Freeman hold a keen interest in the subject, even if it's not a priority for voters.
Recent polls indicate that taxes and education rank as top concerns.
Freeman says his administration would do more to help welfare recipients get the training they need in order to find a good job. They need help in learning job skills in terms of establishing a whole mindset and direction of going to work on a regular basis. Freeman says welfare reform is inextricably linked to some of his education proposals. After all, he says, education and training are what will lead people into the marketplace. I think the wage subsidy would be a good addition to that.