[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 25, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: January 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
          INTRODUCTION OF LEGISLATION TO REDUCE WELFARE FRAUD

  (Mr. LAZIO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LAZIO. Mr. Speaker, our Nation's welfare programs were created to 
provide assistance to the truly needy. Yet, it is generally agreed that 
the system has gone sour and is tainted with fraud and abuse, which not 
only raises taxpayer costs, but undermines this basic purpose.
  Today, I introduced a bill to help reduce fraud and save millions of 
dollars in the AFDC Program. My bill calls upon the Secretary of HHS to 
conduct a feasibility study on the use of biometric technology as a 
means to validate the identities of AFDC recipients.
  According to recently published reports, New York State could save 
$46 million a year by expanding its experimental two-county finger-
imaging program that has been running for 15 months and saved the State 
nearly $700,000. Governor Cuomo has called for the expansion of this 
project.
  Los Angeles County has been running a similar demonstration program 
since 1991, which is expected to save $20 million over 5 years.
  If the savings suggested by these examples are even in the ballpark, 
then we should not waste any time in moving this idea forward as an 
important component of welfare reform.
  Reducing welfare fraud will cut costs and ensure that this assistance 
goes to those who honestly need help, not those who cheat the system 
and the taxpayers.

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