[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 112 (Friday, August 12, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                   FAMILY SERVICE CENTER ACT OF 1994

                                 ______


                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 12, 1994

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I have introduced the Family Service 
Center Act of 1994, a bill to reinvent the welfare office, and I invite 
my colleagues to join me in meeting this challenge.
  My bill would authorize the creation of modern, efficient one-stop 
centers where families in need can have access to the Federal programs 
that can help them achieve self-sufficiency.
  Regardless of how Members may feel about the effectiveness of these 
social programs, there is no down side to delivering them more 
efficiently. The time that welfare families spend going from government 
office to government office, waiting in line after line, leaves them no 
time and no opportunity to escape the welfare trap.
  Working Americans have welcomed changes that cut the hassles of 
shopping, banking, and traveling, so we can do our work and spend 
quality time with our families. American industry has met our needs and 
cut its costs through neighborhood ATM's, and easy access to 24-hour 
800 numbers, voice mail, credit cards, and automatic reservation 
systems. We need to use the American genius for good service in the 
world of welfare, so needy families can get on with the job of getting 
jobs.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe the bill makes good, common sense. It cuts 
right to the heart of the red tape which holds people back from moving 
off of welfare, and wastes taxpayer dollars. I urge my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle to join me in streamlining the system, and 
putting people back to work for less.

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