City tightens welfare rules after bogus claim

2-15-2008 New Hampshire:

The city of Laconia is tightening its rules for welfare recipients after someone falsely claimed to be a sex offender.

Officials say the bogus claim came from someone hoping to get put up in a hotel instead of a homeless shelter, where sex offender aren't allowed to stay. The situation prompted the City Council to change welfare guidelines so that anyone claiming to be a sex offender must provide printed proof from a police department.

The city has made other changes as well, including requiring aid recipients to participate in work programs and encouraging them to sign up for a program that helps make prescription drugs more affordable. ..more.. by Associated Press