Press Herald Editorial Cites UMaine Study on Welfare

The Portland Press Herald editorial titled “Welfare bills will worsen plight of the most needy,” cites a study by Sandra Butler, a University of Maine social work professor. Butler’s study, “TANF Time Limits and Maine Families: Consequences of Withdrawing the Safety Net,” found 39 percent of the 16,000 people who lost Temporary Assistance for Needy Families because of new time limits have a work-limiting disability and 26 percent have a child with a disability. The study also found the number of recipients who reported finding work rose by 7 percent after they lost assistance.