Please take a minute to contact Gov. Gregoire and ask her to sign HB 3141, which provides access to education and training for families who are on TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). Getting this bill enacted into law will help parents focus on work and training so that they can make sustainable changes in their lives.

HB 3141 would create more training and education options for TANF recipients and would authorize 12 months of childcare for parents who participate in Head Start or Early Childhood Education and Assistance Programs. This is a great idea. Currently the TANF program only authorizes parents to receive two or three months of childcare, forcing parents to repeatedly reapply for care. Continuous care would improve the quality of the early learning experience for the child, while allowing parents to focus on work and training.

In this time of economic crisis, strong social support systems like TANF are more important than ever to help families meet their basic needs and lay the foundation for economic recovery. The new training opportunities and additional childcare subsidies included in HB 3141 will provide needed support to help working families become independent and weather these hard times.

What the bill does:

• Shifts the intent of the WorkFirst program to focus on moving recipients into sustainable long-term jobs with wages that lead to self-sufficiency.
• Mandates 12-month eligibility authorizations for Working Connections Child Care (WCCC) for families with children enrolled in Head Start, ECEAP and Early Head Start programs.
• Directs the WorkFirst subcabinet to conduct a review of the WorkFirst program to apply evidence-based approaches to moving families from welfare to sustainable employment. 
• Expands the emphasis on education and training.

You can write to the Governor at:

Governor Christine Gregoire
Office of the Governor
PO Box 40002
Olympia, WA  98504

You can FAX your letter to her at 360.753.4110.

You can call her office at 360.902.4111.

Or you can use the wizard on the Governor’s website to email her (go to the bottom of the page!).