BELOW YOU WILL FIND THE TEXT OF THE TESTIMONY SUBMITTED BY SALT TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES AND SENATORS. 

The 2021 Virginia General Assembly will convene on January 13.

SALT advocates ask, as voters and taxpayers, that you give serious consideration to the priorities listed.

THE SALT 2021 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

Social Action Linking Together (SALT) has over 1,200 members supporting SALT’s goal to help shape social policy that advances the common good and supports human services in Virginia. We urge your support for:

SALT Priority #1:  TANF Adjustments — SALT supports the original purpose of TANF, which is to enable the children in needy families to be cared for in their own homes or homes of relatives. Thanks to a caseload reduction, there is no reason why federal TANF block grant savings--there is currently in excess of a $100 million surplus--should be used for anything other than a 15% percent benefit increase to re-invest in families still receiving TANF. This federally funded benefit will help to close the gap to bring benefits up to our goal of 50% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) for a family of three. This federally funded benefit will help thousands of Virginians make ends meet and boost Virginia’ s economy.

See FACT SHEET: TANF Increase & Standards of Assistance

SALT Priority #2:  SALT TANF Time-Limit proposal — to change the TANF Regulations so that the time limit for receiving benefits (currently a maximum of 5 years) is a continuous 5 years, not 2 years. SALT is asking for the elimination of the two-year break. Virginia’s current two-year TANF time limit requires modification in order to accommodate those attempting to move out of poverty via education and training programs. Post-secondary education, GED, vocational education, and most credentialing programs, as well as apprenticeships, require more than 24 months for the screening, access and completion process. Eliminating the two-year limit is the right thing to do. Preparing adult TANF recipients for jobs to fully support their families should be a primary goal for Virginia. Attaining this goal would be a win-win for both TANF recipients and taxpayers. However, the current two-year time limit on the continuous receipt of TANF benefits is an impediment, making that goal unattainable. 

See FACT SHEET: #1 Ending TANF Time Limits 

See FACT SHEET: #2 TANF Time-Limit Fact Sheet 2021

SALT Criminal Justice Legislative Priorities

SALT Priority #3: The Virginia Family Video Visitation program, Assisting Families of the Imprisoned (AFOI), has been made possible solely with volunteers, primarily generous individuals coming from various faith communities and non-profits. Staffing and program resources are stretched past the limits. Virginia's public fiscal support is absent. In short, it is past time for Virginia to acknowledge its responsibility to fund the needed program expansion from left-over non general federal funds and to cap the excessive video fees by Global Tel that make it non-affordable for low-income families. The goal is in support of family reintegration and re-entry support.

See FACT SHEET: #1 The Prison Family Video Visitation Program Proposals

See FACT SHEET: #2 The Prison Family Video Visitation Program Budget Amendment (draft)

SALT Priority #4: SALT is working with legislators to end the private prison industry in Virginia. We are hopeful that the coming session will allow us to place a moratorium on further private prison facilities and establish a plan to end the management and operation at Lawrenceville, Virginia’s only private prison. The maladministration and cruelty of the industry in Virginia are clear, and it is past time for the Commonwealth to take a stand against private industry profiting on what should be an inherently governmental function. Private prisons are politically and morally indefensible.

See FACT SHEET: #1 Banning Virginia Private Prisons

See FACT SHEET: #2  The Case Against Private Prisons--#1

See FACT SHEET: #3  The Case Against Private Prisons--#2

SALT Priority #5:  Limiting and Ending Solitary Confinement. SALT supports the reducing of solitary confinement to an absolute minimum and legislation ban it for the mentally ill. SALT supports the recently passed data reporting law requiring VADOC to Report Data on Solitary Confinement & the stakeholders work group formed by HB 1284. This practice by DOC is considered torture and fails to meet the constructive and rehabilitative purpose of criminal justice. 

See FACT SHEET: #1 https://s-a-l-t.org/images/Solitary_confinement_one-pager_FINAL.pdf

See FACT SHEET: #2 What Other States Have Done to Address the Cost and Cruelty of Solitary Confinement