Mississippi will increase the lowest monthly welfare payments in the nation under a bill signed into law Wednesday by the state’s Republican governor.
Mississippi has long been one of the poorest states in the U.S., and the measure made law by Gov. Tate Reeves marks the first time in 21 years that the state will expand payments through the program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
The payments in Mississippi have been $146 for a family of two, $170 for a family of three and $194 for a family of four.