JEFFERSON CITY — State Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, today (5-5) praised the Missouri General Assembly’s override of the governor’s veto of Senate Bill 24, legislation that reforms the state’s welfare system and strengthens work requirements for benefits.

“I want to thank my colleagues in both the Senate and the House for voting to override the governor’s veto,” said Sen Sater.

“In the 50 years since we declared the War on Poverty, we have spent trillions of dollars and created over a hundred different welfare programs, yet we are no closer to eliminating poverty now than we were in 1964,” said Sen. Sater. “Lawmakers have too often thrown money at the problem and grown government. It is obvious that has not helped people become independent and self-sufficient.”

Senator Sater’s bill, Senate Bill 24, creates an immediate work requirement to receive welfare benefits, lowers the lifetime eligibility limit for the program and creates strict sanctions for recipients not complying with work requirements.

Currently, fewer than 15 percent of Missouri welfare recipients are engaged in “work activities,” which is a broad definition that includes not only traditional work, but also job training and community service. This places Missouri last in the nation in work participation for welfare. Under Sen. Sater’s bill, the savings from strengthening Missouri’s work for welfare policies will be directed to helping families with child care, transportation and job training.

“The evidence overwhelmingly shows that Americans and Missourians believe work is the answer to poverty,” said Sen. Sater. “Our current system unnecessarily traps people in welfare dependency and makes it difficult to get off welfare and back to work. Senate Bill 24 will turn this program around by providing the structure and tools our families need to become self-sufficient.”

The Senate voted 25-9 on Monday (5-4) evening to override the governor’s veto while the House voted 113-42 to do the same today (5-5). Most provisions of the bill go into effect on Jan. 1, 2016.