I am concerned that the recent proposed legislation regarding Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) will perpetuate cycles of poverty, rather than break them. Tennessee HB 0261/SB 0132 would require children to have "satisfactory performance in school" for families to receive the full amount of monthly assistance.
Sen. Stacey Campfield, the composer of this bill says, "One of the top tickets to break the chain of poverty is education." Agreed. However, research also shows that children in poverty start out behind, and are consistently playing catch-up to their peers, who have more money and time to invest in these "top tickets." Taking away even a portion of assistance for a family in poverty would stifle their already crippling conditions.
Working mothers receiving TANF are overrepresented in minimum-wage jobs requiring non-standard work hours. These families do not have the luxury to negotiate work schedules and have fewer resources available to nurture a child's learning environment. Overlooked are the effects of multigenerational poverty, histories of trauma, inadequate housing, food insecuriyt, and racial disparities for children poverty.
Pass or starve? The community should be bearing the weight of this decision, not an impoverished child.