[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 53 (Tuesday, April 29, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H1913]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TEXAS WELFARE REFORM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore [Mr. Bliley]. Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 21, 1997, the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Sam Johnson, 
is recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, let us get the facts straight 
on Texas welfare reform. In the spring of 1995, the Texas legislature 
passed State welfare reform. In July of 1996, Texas tried to implement 
its welfare reform and sent a proposal to Health and Human Services. In 
April this year, 1997, still no answer from HHS. And guess who is 
holding it up? The President of the United States.
  The State of Texas simply wants to enter into a public-private 
partnership to streamline, integrate and consolidate its welfare system 
into a one-stop center. This will not only help welfare recipients, but 
save taxpayer dollars. It is a forward-looking proposal that would take 
21 different State and Federal programs and combine them into one.
  No longer would welfare recipients have to go from agency to agency 
to sign up and receive benefits. It is one-stop shopping to receive all 
the help they need. It has been estimated that this would save Texas 
taxpayers over $10 million a month, or $120 million a year. That is 
enough money to provide additional health care to an additional 150,000 
children in Texas each year.
  Welfare reform in Texas has been stalled out because the President 
has been taken hostage by the labor unions. Labor bigwigs see any type 
of reform as antiunion regardless of whether it helps children or not.
  The President appears to be losing support for his delay from his own 
Cabinet members. An April 4 memo to the President from the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the 
President's head of domestic policy states,

       We must give Texas an answer immediately. The State has 
     engaged in good-faith discussions with various agencies for 9 
     months.

  It is now 10 months. It has been nearly a month since that memo, and 
still no answer. The reason the unions are holding the President 
hostage are illustrated in this memo. There is a chart at the bottom 
that lists three options. The first is the Texas proposal. The second 
is ``the union proposal.'' And the third is the proposed administration 
compromise.
  I was not aware and I am sure most Americans are not aware that 
welfare reform signed by President Clinton called for union approval of 
State welfare proposals. Since when do unions get to submit proposals 
on State welfare programs? I guess since they spent millions of dollars 
helping the President get reelected maybe.
  It has also been reported that the Secretary of HHS was ready to 
release a letter of approval to Texas but was stopped short by the 
President. The request is now reportedly sitting on the Vice 
President's desk. What in the world is it doing there? We are all 
concerned that the administration is not worried about our children or 
how the program will help them; they are worried about the political 
relationship with the unions.
  I think we all took the President at his word during the signing 
ceremony for the welfare reform bill last year when he said, ``After I 
sign my name to this bill, welfare will no longer be a political 
issue.''
  What happened to that promise? If the administration puts the union's 
political agenda above the real concerns of the citizens of Texas, we 
will not hesitate to go forward with legislation to give Texas the 
approval it deserves.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time for the President to do what is right. Many 
States are watching so they can make the same kind of commonsense 
changes to their welfare systems. The President should grant approval 
immediately so Texas and all of America can make welfare reform real 
and help the children and needy families in America.

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