[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 16 (Thursday, January 26, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E186]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       REINVENT THE WELFARE OFFICE

                                 ______


                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 26, 1995
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the Family Service 
Center Act authorizing modern one-stop centers consolidating services 
and information for families needing aid to become self-sufficient.
  The Family Service Center Act would fund demonstration projects in 
urban, rural, and linguistically and culturally diverse communities. 
Centers would be single neighborhood access points for a broad range of 
services for needy families with children. Centers would use 
consolidated computer systems and communications technology to improve 
services while reducing waste and duplication.
  There is significant waste in the welfare system that could be 
eliminated through the use of automation and new technology. In my 
community of Hudson County, NJ, welfare officials compared data bases 
with New York City and found 400 families collecting benefits on both 
sides of the Hudson River. The result will be savings of up to $2 
million per year.
  More savings will be achieved as automation links together more 
programs. For example, Hudson County plans to check out-of-State 
unemployment insurance records against the welfare rolls to detect 
unreported income.
  The taxpayers are not the only beneficiaries of this bill. New data 
systems at Family Service Centers could cut the mountains of redundant 
forms that frustrate and confuse clients. Families dealing with one 
office, applying for aid through one form, and being tracked on a 
single data base, need fewer intrusive home visits by welfare workers 
checking for errors or fraud.
  Projects effectiveness in streamlining services and cutting costs 
would be subject to rigorous State and Federal evaluations. After 3 
years, projects could be renewed for an additional 3 years if they 
demonstrate effectiveness in achieving their objectives.
  The act would also require participating States to report on Federal, 
State, and local policies and laws that impede the coordination of 
services to needy families with children.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in this effort to reinvent the 
welfare office.


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