By SUSAN NIELSEN
Because a bill to extend the 3-year time limit for the Family Employment Program did not pass in this legislative session, more than 2,000 families could be left without jobs or cash assistance in nine months.
House Bill 288 would have added six months to the 3-year time limit that ends cash assistance and employment in Utah. The federal time limit is five years.
“My desire was to put off the cutoff time for this summer,” said David Zolman, R-Taylorsville.
Zolman said he is disappointed the bill failed because the six-month extension would not have effected taxpayers.
“There were conflicting points of view with this bill,” Zolman said. “They didn’t want people to think they could push the deadline,” he said.
Gina Cornia, a welfare and poverty advocate for Utah Issues, a non-profit advocacy organization for low-income Utahns, supported the six-month delay because it prevented people from being pulled from the program in the middle of the winter. It would have given advocates another legislative session to encourage lawmakers to change the time limit from three years to five years.
“Utah Issues fully intends (to pursue) the five-year time limit,” Cornia said.
Extending the start date by six months, people involved in the program would have had more time to get their lives in order, and continue on their path to success, Cornia said.
The employment program guarantees a job, but it does not solve the long-term problem of employment. Individuals are only helped at the moment with a job, but not to further their education or obtain diplomas, Cornia said.
