[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 24, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S8672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            LITERACY; ONE TOOL FOR ENDING WELFARE DEPENDENCE

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, the welfare bill recently passed by the 
Senate provides that families may be denied cash assistance after 
receiving benefits for a cumulative period of 5 years. States are also 
required to have 15 percent of welfare recipients involved in work 
participation. By 2002, this percentage must increase to 50 percent of 
the people on assistance. The bill as it entered the Senate, however, 
would clearly have failed to prepare these people for the jobs that 
they are required to obtain.
  The facts are clear--you are highly unlikely to get off assistance 
and into work if you are unable to read.
  Vocational education under the bill as it came to the floor was 
limited to no more than 12 months for any individual. Most education 
and training programs have a 2-year duration, and therefore, cannot be 
completed within the bill's time allowance.
  In addition, States are unable to incorporate adult basic education 
activities into the training programs. This, at a time when we know 
more than ever about the link between adult education and literacy and 
dependence on the welfare system.
  Analysis by the Urban Institute shows that of people who have been 
AFDC recipients of less than 25 months, 34.8 percent have not obtained 
a high school degree or a GED. But, among recipients who receive AFDC 
assistance for 60 months or more, this number jumps to 62.8 percent. 
The less educated a person is, the longer he or she is likely to remain 
reliant on the welfare system.
  A 1995 report released by the Policy Information Center at the 
Education Testing Service also notes that welfare recipients with 
higher literacy levels worked more weeks and earned higher average 
weekly wages in comparison with other recipients during the previous 
year. All this simply reinforces the importance of education and 
literacy in helping people get off, and stay off, the welfare system.
  This bill as it came to the Senate did not provide enough 
flexibility, and did not allow the necessary education and training 
required to produce successful employees. In order to correct the 
inflexibility of this welfare bill, Senators Simon, Jeffords, Kerry, 
Specter, and I yesterday proposed and passed a literacy amendment that 
will let states do what is needed.
  This amendment has three basic provisions. The length of allowable 
educational training will be extended from 12 to 24 months; extending 
training period to permit the completion of training programs. The 
amendment also expands the definition of vocational training to include 
adult basic education, such as a GED completion course.
  Without basic educational and literacy levels, people cannot perform 
job duties nor can they expand their skills through more advanced 
education. The amendment also allows States to increase people in 
educational programs from 20 to 30 percent of their participation 
percentages. States with high unemployment rates might otherwise find 
it difficult to place workers who have virtually no skills.
  This amendment provides solutions to get people learning, and 
building skills. I want to thank Senators Simon and Jeffords for their 
leadership on these efforts. With the adoption of this amendment, 
people on public assistance will be able to gain the basic skills they 
need to become productive workers and remain off the welfare 
system.

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