[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 55 (Friday, March 24, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H3737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    THE CONTRACT AND WELFARE REFORM

  (Mrs. KELLY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, this morning we will pass the Personal 
Responsibility Act of 1995. This is by far the most sweeping and far-
sighted piece of social welfare legislation to come out of Congress in 
the last 40 years. We not only provide a true safety net for those less 
fortunate in our society, but we do so in the larger contexts of fiscal 
accountability and personal responsibility.
  We save hard-working American families $69 billion,while putting more 
food on the plates of hungry children. This is the true spirit of our 
Contract With America.
  Last November, Americans decided that they no longer wanted a 
government at odds with the people, but rather a government that worked 
in partnership with the people. A subtle yet striking difference in 
leadership.
  This welfare reform package, and the contract as a whole, give the 
American people the leaner, more efficient, and dramatically more 
responsive Federal Government that they demanded last November.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud of this legislation, and I am proud of our 
contract. We are keeping our promises, and I believe that is what our 
democracy is all about.

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