Press Room

Senate Passes Bill to Help Needy Families Achieve Self Sufficiency

Tuesday, April 24 2012

DENVER─ Today, the Senate passed the Colorado Job Support Act, sponsored by Senator Betty Boyd (D-Lakewood). The bill is designed to help families currently receiving public assistance as a part of the Colorado Works program successfully transition to self sufficiency. The Colorado Works program is Colorado's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and provides public assistance to families in need.  

Senate Bill 139 creates the Colorado Job Support Pilot Program which will provide grants to counties and nonprofit entities to create programs in their communities to address the “cliff effect” and to help the unemployed receive worker training and job skills to find employment.  The “cliff effect” occurs when individuals are deterred from taking promotions or small raises because families then lose needed financial assistance, while only gaining small wage increases.

Senator Boyd offered the following comment on the Colorado Job Support Act today:

“This legislation is vital to helping us find best practices for assisting citizens who are unemployed or under employed and helping them transition toward self sufficiency.  Coloradans want to work, and this bill will help them get the support they need.”

The Colorado Job Support Committee will advise the State Department of Human Services regarding the process and procedures for awarding grants from the fund and make recommendations to the department as to what organizations should receive the grants.   This committee will be funded with gifts, grants and donations and will be made up of the executive director of the department of health and the department of labor or their designee, three members representing counties and four members representing current and past participants in the Colorado Works program.

This legislation will now be heard in the House of Representatives.