Matt Ritter

The legislature is targeting the Poverty Tax – state liens on our neighbors who may have needed state assistance in the past but have since fought their way out of poverty. The policy, known as a "welfare lien" treats public assistance as debt and is a huge roadblock to upward mobility and home-ownership.

The bill we passed puts a stop to this unfair practice. A special thanks to the Greater Hartford Interfaith Action Alliance for their advocacy and guidance on this issue.

I heard from a woman who needed state assistance as a single mother more than 30 years ago. In the years since, she worked hard to buy a home and served the state as a foster parent. As she explored retiring and moving closer to her grandchildren, she discovered that the state had slapped a lien on her home. The policy is counter to the American Dream and I'm proud that the legislature is ending it.