In a victory for the taxpayers of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Virginia General Assembly on February 25th, 1995 approved comprehensive reform to the Commonwealth’s welfare system.
Governor Allen applauded the passage of his initiative saying “Today we have sent a message that welfare in Virginia will no longer be a way of life, but a temporary means of assistance that will serve as a hand up to opportunity rather than a hand out to dependency.”
At the time, Virginia’s welfare reform legislation was regarded as the most sweeping reform legislation in the nation and required all able-bodied welfare recipients to work in exchange for benefits they received. It established paternity cases involving out-of-wedlock births to ensure the fathers were financially responsible; required unwed teen mothers to stay in school; and set a two-year limit on how long one could receive aid.
Virginia’s successful reforms were used as a model around the country. To this day Virginia’s welfare rolls are 47% lower than they were in 1995 and have saved taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
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