With the state's unemployment rate doubled over the last two years and a record one out of 12 Virginians on food stamps, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine thought it seemed like the right time to create a poverty reduction task force.
Kaine addressed state officials, area bankers, nonprofit leaders and legislators today at a gathering titled, "Rethinking Poverty: Exploring Economic Opportunity for All Virginians" at the Omni Hotel in downtown Richmond.
Nearly 10 percent, or 739,000 people live below the federal poverty line in Virginia, including nearly 13 percent of Virginia's children. More than 17 percent in the Southwest and Southside regions of the state live below the poverty line.
The co-chairs of the task force are Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marilyn Tavenner and attorney Robert J. Grey Jr., an ex-president of the American Bar Association and a former candidate for mayor of Richmond.
The governor urged members of the task force, which is being funded by a grant administered by the National Governor's Association, to set aggressive goals to reduce poverty in the commonwealth during tough economic times. And he asked for ideas on targeting state spending on programs that will not only help the neediest Virginians but also be able to survive in a hostile political climate.
"There are tough times out there facing Virginians through no fault of their own," Kaine told the group. "It means we have to rethink the way we do business."
The governor said there is a need to more accurately measure poverty in Virginia and elsewhere, calling the current federal guidelines that set the poverty line at $20,650 for a family of four "outdated." He noted that Virginia is 13th in the nation in increased requests for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
But Kaine also said protecting and providing for the neediest Virginians will be a "a tough political sell," given the recent rejection of $125 million in federal stimulus funds for expanded unemployment benefits by the Republican-controlled House of Delegates.
Citing increased costs to businesses, GOP lawmakers in April balked at legislation to expand eligibility for unemployment insurance to part-time workers and those enrolled in training programs as a condition for receiving the federal money.
"I have to say that as I contemplated the availability of these dollars . . . it was beyond me to think that my legislature would nevertheless choose to reject just the last tip" of Virginia's $4.8 billion stimulus package "one-quarter of one percent for the hardest-hit people in this economy," Kaine said.
"I think Virginians have bigger hearts than that," the governor said, charging the group to work toward solutions.
"I think Virginians' hearts are in the right place, but there's a political dynamic that can make this tough."
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