The fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget reforms DC’s TANF program by resolving long-standing concerns with the District’s rigid 60-month time limit, a problem that has confounded the District for years. The adopted budget allocates $10.3 million to protect DC’s most...
Linnea Lassiter
Recent posts by Linnea Lassiter
Predatory Penalties: How Late Fees on DC Traffic Tickets Punish the Poor
No one likes getting a parking or traffic ticket, but it’s much more than a nuisance for low-income drivers in DC. A simple ticket can result in extreme financial hardship for families struggling to make ends meet, especially since those unable to pay can face a...
Mayor’s Budget Supports TANF Families, but Further Funding is Needed to Protect Low-Income Children
Mayor Bowser’s proposed budget for FY2018 provides much-needed steps to protect vulnerable children in the District, through reforms to a rigid and problematic time limit policy in the city’s Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program. These changes will...
Testimony of Linnea Lassiter at the Budget Oversight of the Department of Human Services on May 3, 2017
Good morning. I’d like to thank Chairwoman Nadeau and members of the Committee for the opportunity to testify. I would also like to thank Mayor Bowser and DHS Director Laura Zeilinger for their leadership on TANF reform and convening the Working Group. My name is...
Testimony of Linnea Lassiter at the Budget Oversight of the Department of Human Services
Good morning. I’d like to thank Chairwoman Nadeau and members of the Committee for the opportunity to testify. I would also like to thank Mayor Bowser and DHS Director Laura Zeilinger for their leadership on TANF reform and convening the Working Group. My name is...
Metro’s Funding Crisis Reminds Us Funding Services Should Be DC’s Top Priority, Not Tax Cuts
Saving Metro, a backbone of the DC economy for both businesses and working families, is going to cost a lot of money, much more than anyone thought just a few years ago. This tremendous yet unanticipated need is a clear sign that DC’s policy to prioritize tax cuts...
Unemployment in DC Reveals Racial Inequity
DCFPI’s latest report, Still Looking for Work: Unemployment in DC Highlights Racial Inequity, finds that despite significant economic growth in the District since 2010 and an overall drop in unemployment, the recovery since the Great Recession has been very uneven,...
Still Looking for Work: Unemployment in DC Highlights Racial Inequity
Despite significant economic growth in the District since 2010, and an overall drop in unemployment, the recovery since the Great Recession has been very uneven, particularly across racial groups. Black DC residents continue to experience elevated rates of joblessness...
DC Residents in the Criminal Justice System will Benefit from Free I.D. Legislation
Legislation before the DC Council to help low-income residents to get ID documents for free would be especially helpful to the thousands of DC residents involved with the criminal justice system, most of whom are African American and low-income. Having an ID is...