[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 54 (Thursday, March 23, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H3579]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
             IN SUPPORT OF THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ACT

  (Mr. KNOLLENBERG asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of the 
Personal Responsibility Act.
  This bill releases the welfare trap by empowering recipients to take 
charge of their lives and work their way off welfare.
  The current system provides little incentive for individuals to work. 
As a result, only 20,000 individuals on AFDC are working in paid jobs. 
By rewarding recipients who remain idle and punishing those who try to 
lift themselves out of poverty, the current welfare system is trapping 
families in a life of dependency.
  It is wrong to deprive individuals the dignity of work. The Personal 
Responsibility Act promotes work and requires able-bodied adults to 
work in exchange for their benefits. By 1998, one parent in at least 90 
percent of two-parent AFDC families will be required to work. By the 
year 2000, 2 million single AFDC parents will be working.
  The Republican welfare bill embodies the principles that make our 
Nation strong and provides hope, opportunity, and independence to those 
unfortunate Americans trapped in the current system.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  

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