Illinois legislators voted against letting people with drug-related convictions receive welfare benefits today. Supporters say when drug offenders lose welfare benefits, it punishes their children, who did nothing wrong, but still rely on public assistance. Despite the growing heroin epidemic all over the state, members of both parties were not buying the argument. Representative David Reis is a Republican from Willow Hill.
“You know if you’re not putting other things on the table and taking care of your family, you’ve got the money to buy these drugs. And why should someone who’d be taking drugs be getting these benefits?”
No Democrats spoke out against the proposal, but it got just 36 votes — less than two-thirds of what’s required to pass.
