Governor's Directive
Background
Governor Gregoire announced her plans to strengthen the state's welfare-to-work program on November 10, 2005, after an extended public comment period on the recommendations from the WorkFirst Reexamination Workgroup.
Upon receiving the workgroup's recommendations on October 6, 2005, she commended the group for completing the difficult task of making recommendations while assuming no more revenue from the state.
On November 10, 2005, in a press release and directive to her WorkFirst leadership team, she pledged to strengthen the program, including a renewed commitment to provide subsidized childcare and other employment supports, and reinforced support and rules to motivate parents who are not doing all they can to enter the workforce.
In a modification to her original "Directive to Implement WorkFirst Reform," Governor Gregoire has directed the implementation of the Non-Compliance Sanction be shifted to March 1, 2007 from December 1, 2006. The original directive and press release are available online.
Governor Gregoire cited several reasons for the change, including pending federal work participation rule changes and delays in modifying the technology needed to support the Comprehensive Evaluation, a new tool designed to engage parents in the most appropriate activities as they move toward employment and self-sufficiency.
The Governor's decision to defer the implementation of the Non-Compliance Sanction by a few months does not change the beliefs and values outlined in the original Directive.
- Work is the best avenue to break the cycle of poverty for families.
- Parents have a responsibility to take good care of and provide for their children.
- The community, with the support of the state, has a responsibility to help low-income families achieve economic self-sufficiency.
- Every citizen in the state has the responsibility for the safety of our children.
- We all must be accountable in carrying out our parts of the program if we are to achieve success.
In other developments related to Governor Gregoire's Directive, the University of Washington has been contracted with to:
- Review the proposed WorkFirst sanction policies and procedures as well as related implementation plans. A copy of the program's response cover letter and report are available on-line. View the most recent information on the University of Washington evaluation of WorkFirst sanction policies, trends and consistency of implementation.
- Conduct a comprehensive review of the literature regarding TANF sanction practices, and the characteristics and needs of sanctioned clients.
- Act as an independent third party reviewer to produce interim and final reports assessing the trends in sanction caseloads, before and after the new sanction policies are implemented.
