FoodShare Benefits Will be Linked to Child Support, Paternity Compliance Under Walker Proposal

MADISON, WIS — Parents must comply with child support orders and also establish paternity before they can receive FoodShare benefits from the state, according to a proposal by Gov. Scott Walker.

The provision is one of several new points as Scott Walker continues the rollout of his "Wisconsin Works for Everyone" welfare reform package, which will be fully unveiled during his next state budget proposal.

According to a release issued Wednesday by the Governor's office, Walker’s reforms would re-establish the requirement that, as a condition of receiving FoodShare, custodial parents must cooperate with child support enforcement to establish paternity and a child support order for the absent parent, with common-sense exemptions for cases of domestic violence or child abuse. Noncustodial parents would face similar requirements. Such a requirement was in effect prior to 2007.

“These reforms are based on the principle that both parents have a responsibility to support their children,” Governor Walker continued. “Our public programs should offer assistance to those in need, but they should also ensure that both parents are asked to fulfill their responsibilities.”

Some of the Other Components in Walker's proposal:

• Mitigate marriage penalties embedded in the state Earned Income Tax Credit by establishing a “honeymoon” period, allowing newly-married couples to claim the greater of what they received prior to marriage or what they would receive under current rules, for the first three years of marriage.
• Increase the earned income tax credit for families with one child from a 4 percent match on the federal credit to an 11 percent match, increasing the maximum benefit to $371 for low-income, one-child workers.
• New investments in the Family Foundations Home Visiting (FFHV) program, which supports pregnant women and families and helps parents of children from birth to age five. The additional $3.9 million investment would cover an additional 400 – 550 families under evidence-based models shown by research to improve child outcomes, family self-sufficiency, and health and safety.

Image Credit: Megan McCormick