From the Honolulu Advertiser:

Hawaii officials say the state’s Department of Human Services will reduce by half its monthly payments to poor people and those with temporary disabilities, from $469 to $234 per person. They say they must act to make sure the program does not run out of money before the end of the fiscal year in June.

The general assistance program serves about 5,150 of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the state. Full payments are expected to resume when the new fiscal year starts in July.

…. The Welfare and Employment Rights Coalition plans a news conference … to urge lawmakers to take money from the state’s rainy-day fund to maintain general assistance payments during the fiscal year.

In a statement, the coalition said “the governor and Legislature are balancing the state’s budget on the backs of those least able to stand up for themselves, including the temporarily disabled.”

See also:

Aid to Utah’s impoverished, disabled at risk — Salt Lake Tribune

Kansas reopens program for disabled — Wichita Eagle

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 5th, 2009 at 3:36 pm and is filed under budget, poverty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.