Public Act 468 of 2006

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• Introduced by Rep. Jerry Kooiman (R) on September 20, 2006, to impose a 48 month lifetime limit on cash welfare payments to able-bodied recipients, and establish recipient tracking, work and training requirements that conform with the limit.
  • Referred to the House Family and Childrens Services Committee on September 20, 2006.
    • Reported in the House on November 30, 2006, with the recommendation that the substitute (H-2) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
  • Substitute offered in the House on November 30, 2006, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that adds additional exceptions to the four-year welfare cap for individuals who are not able to work for various reasons, and additional circumstances that "stop the clock" on the four-year limit. The tolling of that time limit would be suspended if the unemployment rate in the recipient's county was 9 percent or more (vs. 10 percent in the introduced version). The substitute requires more rigorous tracking of welfare recipients by the Department of Human Services with the goal of determining how long they have been on welfare at various times. The substitute passed in the House by voice vote on November 30, 2006.
• Passed in the House (61 to 41) on November 30, 2006, to impose a 48 month lifetime limit on cash welfare payments to able-bodied recipients (with a number of exceptions), and establish recipient tracking, work and training requirements that conform with the limit. A one-year extension could be granted under certain conditions, such as a mother with a child under age three. Sanctions would be imposed on recipients who fail to comply with work and training requirements (three months of no benefits for the first two failures, and one year for a third violation). The bill establishes more exceptions to the sanctions and the four-year cap than previous time limit legislation vetoed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. Exceptions include mothers of a child less than age three, people who are temporarily disabled, or when the county unemployment rate exceeds nine percent. The four-year cap would not be retroactive. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Motion by Rep. Chris Ward (R) on November 30, 2006, to give the bill immediate effect. The motion failed in the House (61 to 41) on November 30, 2006. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Received in the Senate on December 6, 2006.
  • Referred to the Senate on December 6, 2006.
  • Substitute offered in the Senate on December 14, 2006, to replace the previous version of the bill with one that contains the results of negotiations between Republican and Democrat legislators on a welfare time limit proposal. See the Senate-passed version for details, and also House Bill 6587 and Senate Bills 1500 and 1501. The substitute passed in the Senate by voice vote on December 14, 2006.
• Passed in the Senate (27 to 9) on December 14, 2006, to establish that an able bodied person may only collect cash welfare payments for 48 months during their lifetime, subject to exceptions defined by the Department of Human Services. (Previous welfare time limit bills previous time limit legislation vetoed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm did not grant the department this power to create exceptions.) The proposed statute itself contains exceptions for individuals who are mentally or physically disabled, have low intelligence or learning disabilities, and other conditions. The bill is prospective only – the clock starts ticking on recipients’ 48-month limits when a new government welfare-to-work program has gone into effect (Sept. 30, 3007) – and it contains many “clock stoppers” on the time limit, such as whenever the unemployment rate in the county a recipient lives in exceeds the state average by 25 percent. Recipients who fail to comply with work and training requirements would lose benefits for three months the first two times, and one year for a third violation. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Received in the House on December 14, 2006, to establish that an able bodied person may only collect cash welfare payments for 48 months during their lifetime, subject to exceptions defined by the Department of Human Services. (Previous welfare time limit bills previous time limit legislation vetoed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm did not grant the department this power to create exceptions.) The proposed statute itself contains exceptions for individuals who are mentally or physically disabled, have low intelligence or learning disabilities, and other conditions. The bill is prospective only – the clock starts ticking on recipients’ 48-month limits when a new government welfare-to-work program has gone into effect (Sept. 30, 3007) – and it contains many “clock stoppers” on the time limit, such as whenever the unemployment rate in the county a recipient lives in exceeds the state average by 25 percent. Recipients who fail to comply with work and training requirements would lose benefits for three months the first two times, and one year for a third violation. Passed in the House (103 to 0) on December 14, 2006. [Vote Details and Comments]
• Signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on December 19, 2006.