A bill that would increase the assistance payment for the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) by $100 per month passed a committee hurdle Wednesday. The program is the state’s support program for working families with children, and an increase would be a first step to promoting the stability and security these families need to get on their feet. MFIP provides both cash and food assistance, though only cash assistance is the target of the bill that was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill in the Health and Human Services Budget Division this week.
As families struggle to transition to a place of increased economic security, some recent work aimed to make it easier for those enrolled to become self-sustaining, though the transitional standard grant has not been increased in almost 30 years. In an attempt to accomplish this, the bipartisan bill simply raises the amount of money given to MFIP enrollees, entrusting those families to make the decisions that are best for them individually. (S.F. 734)
