A past member of the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization Hillsdale County Veterans Hall of Fame Inc., board of directors 2016-2017.
Caswell came under fire from Michigan Public Radio [1] for a 2011 proposal to issue the Michigan state $80 clothing allowance for children that receive state welfare assistance [2] as an $80 gift card redeemable at secondhand clothing stores, such as Goodwill and Salvation Army, rather than just adding another $80 credit to the Bridge Card account that would be untraceable in how it was actually spent.
[5] Under the current system, DHS issues each year, on average, an additional $80 to a child's parents' Bridge Card for the clothing allowance.
And my dad, he did a lot of shopping at the Salvation Army, and his comment was — and quite frankly it's true — once you're out of the store and you walk down the street, nobody knows where you bought your clothes."
After contact from a constituent, he revised the plan to also include major retailers, but the gift cards will remain only redeemable for clothes and shoes.
“My sole goal in this proposal is to make sure that children receive the clothing allowance that the state has provided for them and not have it used for anything else,” said Caswell.