Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman’s Self-Sufficiency and Financial Stability Welfare Reform Signed Into Law

JEFFERSON CITY — State Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, successfully championed a change to Missouri’s assistance programs promoting self-sufficiency and financial stability. Senator Coleman’s welfare reform initiative was added to Senate Bill 45, which was signed into law on July 6. 

Senator Coleman’s reform simplifies the process for Missourians to apply for and verify their eligibility to continue receiving state benefits. It also provides recipients the opportunity to work their way out of dependency, implementing a benefit transition that, as a worker’s income rises, creates a pathway to independence through incremental decreases in benefits. 

“Government assistance programs should not be trapping people in dependency,” said Sen. Coleman. “This new law institutes a long overdue reform to Missouri’s assistance programs, helping those in need while providing them a pathway to self-sufficiency and financial independence.” 

During Senate deliberation, Sen. Coleman added similar benefit transition language to Senate Bill 106, a wide-ranging healthcare bill, which the governor also signed into law on July 6. 

To learn more about Sen. Coleman, please visit her official Missouri Senate website at senate.mo.gov/Coleman.  

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