SEEKING A WELFARE RULE'S REPEAL

Report Says Ban on Aid to Drug Users 'Devastates' Children.

A lifetime ban on welfare benefits for women convicted of drug crimes
is having "devastating consequences" for poor women and their
children and should be repealed immediately, according to a study
released yesterday.

The study by the Washington-based Sentencing Project found that the
ban, which took effect in 1996 as part of the 1996 Welfare Reform
Act, affects more than 92,000 women and 135,000 children. Nearly half
of those affected are African American or Hispanic.

The Welfare Reform Act allows the denial of financial assistance,
including food stamps, to anyone convicted of felony drug use or
selling drugs.

"This short-sighted law places children and families at a much higher
risk for failure and ensures ever-growing societal costs to repair
the damage," said Marc Mauer, assistant director of the Sentencing
Project, an organization that promotes alternatives to imprisonment.

Twenty-two states, including Delaware, Pennsylvania and Virginia,
deny all benefits, the study showed. Ten states require drug
treatment as a condition of receiving benefits and 10 have partial
bans. Eight states and the District have opted out of the ban.

Massachusetts modified its lifetime ban in December and now allows
anyone convicted of drug crimes to be eligible for food stamps,
according to the study. However, they cannot receive cash assistance
for the first year of their release unless they meet certain
exemptions, such as pregnancy.

In Wisconsin, mothers remain eligible for food stamps and Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families if they pass random drug tests. Mothers
who test positive for drugs immediately lose their eligibility.

Nearly 35,000 African American women and 10,000 Hispanic women -- 48
percent of the total of those denied benefits -- are affected, the
study found. African American women in Alabama, Delaware, Illinois,
Mississippi and Virginia make up the majority of women denied
benefits. Hispanic women were affected most in California and Arizona.

In Virginia, twice as many African American women were convicted of
felony drug offenses as white women; in Illinois, more than 8,800
African American women were convicted of a drug crime compared with
1,029 white women, according to the study.

The study recommends that Congress hold hearings on the issue and
"consider an immediate repeal of the lifetime welfare ban." It also
urges state governments to consider opting out of the ban or
modifying it. States that link drug treatment to welfare benefits
should offer additional programs such as job training or GED courses
"to allow women to maintain their welfare benefits," the study said.

"The well-being of children is intimately linked to the well-being of
their parents, which is why this law is a direct threat to so many
families," said Patricia Allard, the study's author.