Manweller appointed to poverty reduction and WorkFirst task forces
Rep. Matt Manweller, R-Ellensburg, has been appointed to two new task forces by House Republican leadership.
Manweller will serve on the Legislative-Executive WorkFirst Poverty Reduction Oversight Task Force.
The task force is a result of House Bill 1482 and will oversee the operation of the WorkFirst and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs, while also developing strategies to address adverse childhood experiences and reduce intergenerational poverty.
Intergenerational poverty is when two or more consecutive generations of a family experience poverty. In 2016, approximately 12 percent of the Washington's population was living under the federal poverty guidelines. The 2016 federal poverty guideline for a household of four is a monthly income of $2,025.
“The task force will continue to look at WorkFirst and TANF issues, but there will be renewed focus on addressing poverty in Washington state and breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty,” said Manweller.
He will also serve on the Future of Work Task Force.
The task force comes from Senate Bill 6544 and will assess trends and factors that are current or potential drivers of industries in Washington state now and 25 years into the future. They will also identify policies and practices to help Washington's employers and employees thrive economically while responding to changes in technology, environmental and security issues and global interdependence.
“I had concerns with this legislation when it passed, because of the cost and the difficulty of predicting work factors more than twenty years into the future,” said Manweller. “However, now that the law is passed and the task force is in place, I have a seat at the table to make sure we are being good stewards of taxpayer dollars and there is some accountability in place as we look at what the future holds for employers and employees.”
The task force will work with the Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board and will likely meet four times a year.
The Coordinating Board will make initial recommendations and a research design report describing the plan and methods to be used by the task force by Dec. 31, 2018, The board will then report to the appropriate committees of the Legislature and the governor on task force activities and recommendations by Dec. 1, 2019.
