SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 50

(By Senators McCabe, Hunter, Foster, Bailey and Unger)


Requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance study issues of income adequacy and analyze policies to help individuals striving for self-sufficiency.

Whereas, With the passage of welfare legislation in 1996 and the advent of work requirements and time limits, helping low-income persons or welfare recipients become self-sufficient has become a top priority; and
Whereas, The Self-Sufficiency Standard documents the cost of living that families of different sizes must meet to live independently without public or private assistance; and
Whereas, The Self-Sufficiency Standard shows that, for most families, earnings that are above the official poverty level or earnings that are high enough to disqualify them from welfare are nevertheless far below what they need to meet their families' basic needs; and
Whereas, The Self-Sufficiency Standard is currently being used to better understand issues of income adequacy, to analyze policy and to help individuals striving for self-sufficiency; and
Whereas, The West Virginia Community Voices Partnership has developed and calculated the Self-Sufficiency Standard for 70 different family types in each county and metropolitan area in West Virginia; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance is hereby requested to study issues of income adequacy and analyze policies to help individuals striving for self-sufficiency; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance is requested to study ways to help employers move toward meeting the Self-Sufficiency Standard for West Virginia workers as measured by the West Virginia Community Voices Partnership; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance examine ways to use the Self-Sufficiency Standard as a benchmark to measure activity of public-sponsored economic development efforts, including, but not limited to, job creation and wage levels tracked by the Economic Development Authority and the West Virginia Development Office; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance report to the regular session of the Legislature, 2007, on its findings, conclusions and recommendations, together with drafts of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this study, to prepare a report and to draft necessary legislation be paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on Government and Finance.