Nancy L. Johnson: “Mr. Speaker, in my brief time, I want to direct myself to the requirements in this bill. First of all, the real work…”

“Mr. Speaker, in my brief time, I want to direct myself to the requirements in this bill. First of all, the real work requirement is almost unchanged from current law. Under current law a person must work 20 hours a week. Under this bill they must work 24 hours a week. That is three 8-hour days. What is really changed in this bill is the opportunity requirement. And let us not miss this. In this bill you are required to plan how you are going to use the other 16 hours of the normal 40-hour workweek to create your own future. If you have substance abuse problems, part of that plan can be to deal with substance abuse. If you have mental health problems, part of that plan can be to deal with your mental health problems. If you have educational deficits, part of that plan can be to deal with your educational deficit. You have the whole 3 months, even a semester, to start out on your educational issues without any work requirement, even the 3 days a week, and, after that, you have Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2 days a week, to continue to pursue your degree.”