The Iowa Senate passed several bills last week to make changes to the state’s welfare system.

District 24 Senator Jerry Behn of Boone says they passed Senate File 538 which outlines new limited work requirements for able-bodied individuals to qualify to receive benefits from Medicaid. “You have to either work, or you have to go to school or you have to volunteer. So that’s all it says. And we’re thinking again that that’s about time. There’s no reason if you’re able-bodied and you don’t have any dependents, you should most definitely work, go to school or volunteer in order to receive taxpayer-funded healthcare.”

The bill lists several exemptions such as being responsible for the care of a dependent child under the age of six, being a caregiver for an elderly person or an adult with a chronic, disabling or serious health condition, among others.

Behn points out the other bills related to welfare reform was Senate File 305, which requires those on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to cooperate with Child Support Recovery to receive food assistance, and Senate File 484 makes it a crime to fraudulently possess an EBT card.

To hear more from Behn, listen to today’s Community State Bank in Paton Let’s Talk Greene County Program.