[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 21, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H3338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 WELFARE REFORM BILL: NEW METHODS FOR COLLECTING FROM DEADBEAT PARENTS
  (Ms. DUNN of Washington asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. DUNN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, today we begin the process of 
overhauling a welfare system that traps millions of Americans, 
especially women and children, in an endless cycle of poverty and 
hopelessness.
  One of the most crucial provisions of the Republican welfare reform 
bill provides new methods for collecting money from deadbeat dads and 
mothers. Right now these irresponsible parents in my home State of 
Washington owe over $423 million, and $34 billion is owed nationally to 
the children and the families.
  This is money that, in many cases, could be used to keep children off 
welfare. These uncaring parents provide neither hope nor a bright 
future for their children. What these deadbeat parents do instead is 
three things: They evade their most basic responsibility by failing to 
support their own flesh-and-blood children, they force their own 
children into welfare, and they force you, the American taxpayer, to 
pick up the tab for their irresponsibility.
  Mr. Speaker, they force the Government to become the parent.
  Mr. Speaker, unfortunately the status quo welfare system provides 
little relief to the families trapped by delinquency of the deadbeat 
parents. The child-support provision of our bill, which I am pleased to 
say has great bipartisan support, will begin the process of ending 
welfare as we now know it and putting our children first by requiring 
both parents to support their own children.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge every Member to support this bill and the 
children.


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