Snowe reintroduces welfare initiative

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe has reintroduced legislation to encourage postsecondary education for low-income people working their way off welfare, using Maine’s “Parents as Scholars” initiative as a model. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., will join Snowe as lead co-sponsor.

Snowe’s “Pathways to Self-Sufficiency Act” would give states the option to use federal dollars under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, program to provide assistance to individuals participating in postsecondary or longer duration vocational education.

Snowe said Maine’s experience with the Parents as Scholars program has shown the benefits of access to education. Maine graduates of the program earn a median wage of $11.71 per hour after graduation – as compared to the median income of $8 per hour for former welfare recipients without additional education.