[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 49 (Thursday, March 16, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H3315]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ELEMENTS OF WELFARE REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Tennessee [Mr. Clement] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, this next week we are going to be voting on 
a major piece of legislation and we are going to have several options 
when it comes to welfare reform, ending welfare as we know it today. 
And surely the time has come when we must do this for America.
  I have had the opportunity like other Members of Congress to meet 
with welfare recipients who feel trapped, who do not think they have a 
future. Many of them do not have the education and training, many of 
them are mothers with small children. They want a better way of life 
but they feel very dependent today and want government to offer some 
incentives rather than being trapped in a life of welfare. They are not 
proud of themselves. They know they are not mentors or role models for 
their families.
  We have got third and fourth generations that are in a life of 
welfare. Yet we know the world of work offers self-esteem and self-
worth and a future not only for those welfare recipients, but for those 
dependents as well.
  Congressman Deal, myself, and four other Members of the House of 
Representatives have been meeting during the last Congress and in this 
Congress to come up with some legislation that we are very proud of, 
that we are going to be introducing next week. This legislation, 
welfare reform which we have introduced, offers three principles, those 
of work, individual responsibility and State flexibility.
  Mr. Speaker, our proposal places an emphasis of moving recipients 
into the private sector as soon as possible, includes real work 
requirements, requires recipients to sign a binding contract, applies 
significant sanctions to those who fail to comply with the terms of the 
contract, fulfills the pledge that recipients must be working after two 
years, requires recipients to participate in work or work-related 
activity in order to receive benefits.
  Recipients who refuse a job would be denied benefits; makes every 
effort possible to provide the funding and tools necessary to move 
recipients to self-sufficiency, establishes a minimum number of hours a 
recipient must spend in work, job search, or work-related activity 
which leads to private sector employment in order to receive benefits.
                              {time}  1500

  We remove all incentives which make welfare more attractive than work 
and remove the biggest barriers to work, child care and health care.
  Mr. Speaker, our proposal contains a visible, or a viable, work 
program with real work requirements. We maintain the guarantee of 
benefits for all eligible recipients who comply with the specific 
requirements. We maintain the current food and nutrition programs such 
as school lunch, WIC, and Meals on Wheels. We eliminate SSI benefits to 
alcoholics and drug addicts. We reform and revise SSI for children in a 
fair and equitable manner which eliminates the fraud and abuse, and 
controls the growth and ensures due process for each and every child 
currently on the rolls, ensuring that no qualifying child loses 
benefits.
  Mr. Speaker, ours is a responsible, workable approach which maintains 
the Federal responsibility without simply shifting the burden to the 
States. In short, our bill will end welfare as we know it today. 
Recipients will be required to work for benefits, but there is an 
absolute time limit for receipt of these benefits. Our plan provides 
the best opportunity for welfare recipients to become productive 
members of the work force. We provide States with the resources 
necessary to provide this opportunity without incurring an additional 
fiscal burden. We have a real opportunity in America to give people 
hope and give them a future once again.
  Mr. Speaker, I have had horror story after horror story from people 
at home in Tennessee, as well as throughout the United States, about 
welfare, and I encourage those that are listening to write and let us 
know in Washington, DC, that they are behind welfare reform and support 
the Deal legislation next week.


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