Arizona lawmakers are set to adjourn the legislative session with a vote that would extend the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The legislation is a going home priority for Gov. Doug Ducey.
Senate President Steve Yarbrough, a Republican, said he has the votes needed to allow people who meet certain income standards to receive Temporary Assistance for Needy Families for up to two years.
In 2015, Gov. Ducey signed legislation making Arizona the only state with a one year lifetime cap on aid. But this year, he said he was open to two years, if certain conditions were met.
Democrats said the conditions amounted to a trap. Sen. Kate Brophy McGee said the alternative is keeping the one year limit.
"Seventy percent of something is a lot more than zero percent of nothing," Brophy McGee said.
Brophy McGee was citing figures from the Governor who said he believed that seven out of every 10 people who get TANF the first year will remain eligible the second year.