SALT 2021 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
Social Action Linking Together (SALT) has over 1,300 members supporting SALT’s goal to help shape social policy that advances the common good and supports human services in Virginia. We urge your support for:
SALT TANF Legislative Priorities
SALT Priority #1: TANF Adjustments — SALT supports the original purpose of TANF, which is to enable the children in needy families to be cared for in their own homes or homes of relatives. Thanks to a caseload reduction, there is no reason why federal TANF block grant savings--there is currently in excess of a $100 million surplus--should be used for anything other than a 15% percent benefit increase to re-invest in families still receiving TANF. This federally funded benefit will help to close the gap to bring benefits up to our goal of 50% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for a family of three. This federally funded benefit will help thousands of Virginians make ends meet and boost Virginia’ s economy.
See FACT SHEET: TANF Increase & Standards of Assistance
SALT Priority #2: SALT TANF Time-Limit proposal — to change the TANF Regulations so that the time limit for receiving benefits (currently a maximum of 5 years) is a continuous 5 years, not 2 years. SALT is asking for the elimination of the two-year break. Virginia’s current two-year TANF time limit requires modification in order to accommodate those attempting to move out of poverty via education and training programs. Post-secondary education, GED, vocational education, and most credentialing programs, as well as apprenticeships, require more than 24 months for the screening, access and completion process. Eliminating the two-year limit is the right thing to do. Preparing adult TANF recipients for jobs to fully support their families should be a primary goal for Virginia. Attaining this goal would be a win-win for both TANF recipients and taxpayers. However, the current two-year time limit on the continuous receipt of TANF benefits is an impediment, making that goal unattainable.
See FACT SHEET: Ending TANF Time Limits
See FACT SHEET: TANF Time-Limit Fact Sheet 2021
SALT Criminal Justice Legislative Priorities
SALT Priority #3: The Virginia Family Video Visitation program by Assisting Families of the Imprisoned (AFOI) has been made possible solely with volunteers, primarily generous individuals coming from various faith communities and non-profits.
Staffing and program resources are stretched past the limits. Virginia's public fiscal support is absent. In short, its past time for Virginia to acknowledge its responsibility to fund the needed program expansion from left-over non general federal funds and to cap the excessive Video fees by Global Tel that make it non-affordable for low-income families. The goal is in support of family reintegration and re-entry support.
See FACT SHEET: The Prison Family Video Visitation Program Proposals
See FACT SHEET #2: The Prison Family Video Visitation Program Budget Amendment (draft)
SALT Priority #4: SALT is working with legislators to end the private prison industry in Virginia. We are hopeful that the coming session will allow us to place a moratorium on further private prison facilities and establish a plan to end the management and operation at Lawrenceville, Virginia’s only private prison. The maladministration and cruelty of the industry in Virginia are clear and it is past time for the Commonwealth to take a stand against private industry profiting on what should be an inherently governmental function. Private prisons are politically and morally indefensible.
See FACT SHEET: Banning Virginia Private Prisons
See FACT SHEET #2: Privatize Prisons SALT Finding #1
See FACT SHEET #3: Privatize Prisons SALT Findings #2
SALT Priority #5: Limiting and Ending Solitary Confinement. SALT supports the reducing of solitary confinement to an absolute minimum and legislation ban it for the mentally ill. SALT supports the recently passed data reporting law requiring VADOC to Report Data on Solitary Confinement & the stakeholders work group formed by HB 1284. This practice by DOC is considered torture and fails to meet the constructive and rehabilitative purpose of criminal justice.
See FACT SHEET: End Inhumane Solitary Confinement
SEE FACT SHEET #2: Solitary Confinement—What Other States Have Done to Address Costs and Cruelty
SALT Priority #6: Pay imprisoned people in Virginia a reasonable wage for their mandated prison labor. Currently, Virginia is one of 14 states in which imprisonment is treated as voluntary unemployment. State prison job pay in Virginia is a median of about 29 cents an hour, meaning that: 1) most incarcerated parents cannot feasibly pay the full amount of child-support obligations and or court fees, ending up tens of thousands of dollars in debt by the time they get out; and 2) imprisoned people are perpetually in debt trying to obtain basic necessities, e.g., it can take a week’s wages to buy a box of tampons, Pay a $5.00 medial co-pay or to save up to make a phone call to family members. We are essentially destroying chances at successful family and community reintegration without fair wages to help them survive and return to the community. We propose that Virginia pass legislation that provides reasonable compensation to incarcerated workers.
See FACT SHEET: Prison Pay Reform Proposals
SALT Priority #7: Monitor 2020 passed legislation to: 1) Eliminate the $5.00 medical co-pays for inmates in Virginia prisons; and 2) Official ID for Virginians returning from incarceration. Both remove significant barriers to people preparing to and attempting to reintegrate into society. Ensuring access to medical care and obtaining ID are critical for success after incarceration.
See FACT SHEET: Ending Medical Co-pays for Prisoners | Providing Imprisoned Person ID Access
SALT Priority #8: Adjust TANF Income Disregard Item 350 #5s by Chief Patron Senator Ghazala Hashmi--Social Action Linking Together (SAL)T and Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC) support adjusting the Earned Income Disregards for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) via a Budget Amendment Item 350 #5s.
See FACT SHEET: TANF Income Disregards Fact Sheet 2021
(draft September 28, 2020)