Mich. Governor Signs 48-Month Welfare Limit

Governor Says There Will Be Exemptions For Disabled

LANSING, Mich. -- Gov. Rick Snyder has signed into law a stricter, four-year lifetime limit on cash welfare benefits.

The governor signed the legislation Tuesday. In a release, he said the state will offer exemptions for those with a disability who can't work or in certain other cases.

Gilda Jacobs of the Michigan League for Human Services says she expects about 41,000 people will lose their cash assistance payments on Oct. 1, when the state's new budget year begins. About 30,000 are children.

Jacobs says it's hard to see how 11,000 adults will find a job when Michigan's unemployment rate is 10.9 percent.

State officials say they're working with nonprofit organizations to direct welfare recipients to other services and provide a "soft landing" as they lose benefits.

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