[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 22, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H3423]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       A BROKEN SYSTEM NEEDS WORK

  (Mrs. SEASTRAND asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mrs. SEASTRAND. Mr. Speaker, in this recent magazine article, a black 
woman from Houston, TX, who recognizes that the current welfare system 
is hopelessly broken takes it upon herself to help the downtrodden, and 
she refuses to take one penny from the Government. That should signal 
to us that something is very wrong with our current welfare system. And 
it should signal to us the direction our country has to go.
  Today we are set to make fundamental changes to the current failed 
welfare system, a current system that is not compassionate, a current 
system that has harmed the very people we have set out to help. Nothing 
will help or will more fundamentally change the incentives than to 
require work, not welfare.
  Whether work is in the home or in a 40-hour-a-week job, work is 
inherent to the dignity of women and men. Individuals need the dignity 
of work. Our bill does that.
  We have a tough work requirement for welfare recipients after 2 
years, and we define work as real private-sector jobs for real pay.
  Mr. Speaker, that is real change. That is how we are keeping our 
promise to the American people to change the failed welfare system, and 
we hope that our new system will bring hope, opportunity through work, 
and the dignity that will come with it.


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