[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 90 (Thursday, July 13, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H6026-H6029]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           AID FOR MACEDONIA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Souder) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Speaker, the first thing I would like to do tonight 
is to make a few additional comments regarding the colloquy held 
earlier today between the gentleman from Alabama (Chairman Callahan), 
the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Coburn) and myself concerning 
additional aid to Macedonia. We appreciate the consideration of the 
chairman for additional funding for Macedonia if additional funds 
become available for the foreign operations appropriations.
  I will include for the Record additional articles concerning the 
problems Macedonia is facing.
  I want to thank Virginia Sirso of the Macedonian Tribune in my home 
town of Fort Wayne, Indiana, for providing many of these materials that 
point out the sacrifices that Macedonia made to help us in the war in 
the Balkans, even though it was very decisive in that part of the 
world, and particularly with the majority of their population being 
orthodox and trying to keep a coalition government together, losing 400 
to 600 million dollars because of their sacrifices. The least we could 
do would be to help those who sacrificed to help us.


                        Marriage and the Family

  The second thing I would like to address this afternoon is an 
initiative, some innovative proposals on marriage and family, from 
Governor Frank Keating of Oklahoma. The TANF funds, the Temporary 
Assistance for Needy Family funds that have gone to Oklahoma, are being 
used to strengthen families and reduce the divorce rate. My friend 
Jerry Regier, Oklahoma Cabinet Secretary for Health and Human Services, 
worked with Governor Keating to develop this innovative plan.

[[Page H6027]]

  Oklahoma, as of this spring when they implemented that plan, had the 
second highest divorce rate in the country. Governor Keating and his 
wife have carried the messages of the consequences of divorce, 
especially when children are involved, to towns throughout Oklahoma.

                              {time}  1615

  They have involved seven sectors of Oklahoma life: business, church, 
education, service providers, government, legal and media. Three of the 
four things we in the House put in welfare reform regarding TANF that 
had to do with marriage and family. What is unusual about this Oklahoma 
program, because every State is bragging about how they have reduced 
welfare rolls, how they have gotten people back to work and the things 
they have done with the family, is that it is a comprehensive program 
to marriage and family issues. I want to read this, and then I will 
insert the full remarks into the Record.
  ``Community Covenants, (religious leaders join other sector leaders 
in community-based solutions to reduce the divorce rate.)
  ``Scholar-in-residence: Oklahoma State University (national marriage 
expert);
  ``Ongoing activities to keep marriage/divorce on the public agenda;
  ``Statewide training/service delivery system (working with the 
Nation's experts to develop this system/curriculum that will provide 
research-based skills training);
  ``Marriage Resource Center (information, mentorship, et cetera);
  ``Research/Evaluation (in consultation with Oklahoma State University 
and the Nation's best marital research experts);
  ``Improvement of our data system (to understand more about our 
divorce rate and where to focus our resources);
  ``Second Annual Governor and First Lady's Conference on Marriage;
  ``Fatherhood Projects (integration of fatherhood project into the 
marriage initiative);
  ``Mother Mentoring/Children First (integration of motherhood projects 
into the marriage initiative);
  ``Support of other coalitions/services (pilot demonstration projects 
that will strengthen couple relationships/marriage and high-risk, 
vulnerable populations);
  ``Media (tools for influencing and changing the culture; putting 
issues on the public agenda);
  ``Charitable Choice liaison to head the State's efforts to partner 
with charitable and faith-based organizations to providing and 
delivering social services;
  ``Youth Education/Prevention Programs (changing the attitudes of 
young people who are yet to personally confront the issues of marriage/
divorce).''
  Mr. Speaker, this is a comprehensive way to try to tackle what people 
say is something that cannot be done. Constantly here, when we hear 
about social problems, oh, well, problems of moral issues like teen 
pregnancy and divorce cannot really be dealt with by the Government. 
Now, here is a whole series of things that they are implementing 
through the course of this year in Oklahoma to try to tackle what is 
fundamentally one of the major problems we have in the United States 
when we look at teen runaways, teen suicide, child abuse. We see family 
breakdown at the core of this. We need innovative leaders who are 
willing to take some risks to experiment. Not all of these programs 
will work. Some of them will take longer to get started, but to look at 
comprehensive ways to address this.
  In conclusion, what I want to point out is that compassionate 
conservatism is not just talk. We have governors like Frank Keating and 
Governor George W. Bush, who have actually implemented innovative 
ideas. Former Mayor Goldsmith of Indianapolis led the way at the city 
level. Here in the House, Members like the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. 
Talent) and the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Watts) and the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Kasich) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts) 
and others; and in the Senate, Senator Brownback, Senator Santorum, 
Senator Abraham. We have innovative leaders throughout this country who 
have been, will be, and currently are working to try to implement 
creative ways from a conservative perspective to address these 
difficult social problems.

    Governor Frank Keating Challenges Nation to Tackle Divorce Rate


          Oklahoma Commits $10 Million to Address the Problem

       Washington, DC.--Governor Frank Keating is increasing 
     Oklahoma's stakes in the battle to reduce its divorce rate by 
     making a significant financial commitment to address the 
     problem. Jerry Regier, Oklahoma Cabinet Secretary for Health 
     and Human Services, was in Washington, DC today to announce 
     that Governor Keating is now the first governor in the 
     country to set aside $10 million dollars in TANF (Temporary 
     Assistance For Needy Families) funds to be used to strengthen 
     marriages and reduce the divorce rates.
       Oklahoma has led the nation in this arena since last year 
     when Governor Keating announced that his state was committed 
     to doing something to reverse the fact that Oklahoma has the 
     2nd highest divorce rate in the country. In both his 
     Inaugural address and his State of the State address, Keating 
     laid out the goal of reducing the state's divorce rate by 1/3 
     by 2010.
       Through this past year, the Governor and First Lady Cathy 
     Keating have carried the message of the consequences of 
     divorce, especially when children are involved, to towns 
     throughout Oklahoma. They have developed the Oklahoma 
     Marriage Initiative into something unique, taking a bold step 
     forward with each new idea. They have involved leaders from 
     seven sectors of Oklahoma life: business, church, education, 
     service providers, government, legal, and the media.
       ``When we launched this initiative, frankly some people 
     asked Cathy and me what business the government has getting 
     involved in marriage,'' says Governor Frank Keating. ``But 
     when you look at the consequences of divorce, the better 
     question is `What business do we have not getting involved?' 
     ''
       ``Divorce has staggering negative effects, both 
     economically and socially. We cannot continue to ignore its 
     impact. While we have turned our state's focus and attention 
     to reducing divorce, we must now add our resources and 
     greater action,'' says Keating.
       TANF funds are block grant funds provided to each state and 
     marriage is a key component of three of the four goals for 
     that funding:
       (1) ``To provide assistance to needy families so that the 
     children may be cared for in their homes or in the homes of 
     relatives.''
       (2) ``To end dependence of needy parents on government 
     benefits by promoting job preparation, work and marriage . . 
     .''
       (3) ``To prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock 
     pregnancies and establish annual numerical goals for 
     preventing and reducing the incidence of these pregnancies.''
       (4) ``To encourage the formation and maintenance of two-
     parent families.''
       On Monday of this week, Governor Keating sent a letter to 
     the Department of Human Services board of directors 
     officially asking them to set aside the TANF funds. Regier 
     and DHS Director Howard Hendrick have been meeting for 
     months, at Keating's direction, to finalize the budget 
     allocation and an agreement was reached late last week. 
     Regier heads the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative for Governor 
     and Mrs. Keating and is charged with the task of developing 
     and implementing an effective strategy to reduce the divorce 
     rate.
       ``It's with great privilege that I announce today that 
     Oklahoma is the first state to set aside a significant amount 
     of money for reducing its divorce rate and strengthening 
     marriages. While other states have similar TANF resources to 
     invest in meeting this important goal, under the leadership 
     of Governor Keating, Oklahoma is the first to take this 
     important step by committing $10 million to achieve these 
     goals,'' says Regier.
       Even before this funding commitment, Oklahoma has already 
     begun making important changes. During 1999, the Department 
     of Human Services began calculating the incomes of both 
     individuals in a cohabiting (unmarried) couple when 
     determining assistance eligibility. No longer is there a 
     financial incentive for couples to live together outside of 
     marriage.
       Over the coming months, Oklahoma will continue to finalize 
     its action plan. The major components will include:
       Community Covenants (religious leaders join other sector 
     leaders in community-based solutions to reduce the divorce 
     rate)
       Scholar-in-Residence: Oklahoma State University (national 
     marriage expert)
       On-going activities to keep marriage/divorce on the public 
     agenda
       Statewide training/service delivery system (working with 
     the nation's experts to develop this system/curriculum that 
     will provide research-based skills training)
       Marriage Resource Center (information, mentorship, etc.)
       Research/Evaluation (in consultation with OSU and the 
     nation's best marital research experts)
       Improvement of our data system (to understand more about 
     our divorce rate and where to focus our resources)
       Second Annual Governor and First Lady's Conference on 
     Marriage
       Fatherhood Projects (integration of fatherhood projects 
     into the marriage initiative)
       Mother Mentoring/Children First (integration of motherhood 
     projects into the marriage initiative
       Support of other coalitions/services (pilot demonstration 
     projects that will strengthen

[[Page H6028]]

     couple relationships/marriage in high-risk, vulnerable 
     populations.)
       Media (tools for influencing and changing the culture . . . 
     putting issues on the public agenda)
       Charitable Choice liaison to lead the state's efforts to 
     partner with charitable and faith-based organizations in 
     providing and delivering social services
       Youth Education/Prevention Programs (changing the attitudes 
     of young people who are yet to personally confront the issues 
     of marriage/divorce)
       While in Washington, DC, Regier called on other leaders to 
     join in this important goal to reduce the divorce rate in 
     their own state.
       ``Setting a measurable goal is the first step in achieving 
     your objective, and those of us in Oklahoma who are seeing 
     the good impact of our work challenge other states to join us 
     by setting measurable goals for reducing the divorce rate by 
     a set amount in a time certain,'' says Regier. ``It's 
     difficult to reach an undefined goal.''
       ``Just as we set an Oklahoma goal of reducing the divorce 
     rate by \1/3\, we have now also set aside a specific amount 
     of money to achieve the objective. While the final amount of 
     allocated resources may be more or less in the final 
     analysis, Governor Keating, the Department of Human Services 
     Board, and I all agreed that we must begin to move forward 
     with a significant commitment of resources. We will not let a 
     lack of funding deter us from meeting this goal that will 
     positively impact Oklahomans in all walks of life,'' Regier 
     concluded.
       Regier was in Washington to represent Governor Keating at a 
     press conference for The Empowerment Network (TEN). Keating 
     is the national co-chairman of this group which today 
     released a bold bi-partisan platform designed to translate 
     election-year rhetoric about American renewal into measurable 
     gains for America's communities and families.
       Regier was joined at the press event by Keating's national 
     co-chair, Senator Dan Coats (R-IN), who presented, 
     Empowerment Blueprint 2001: Strategies for Family and 
     Community Renewal, a ``step-by-step agenda for leaders at the 
     national, state, and local levels, and the private sector.
                                  ____

                                                State of Oklahoma,


                                       Office of the Governor,

                                                Oklahoma City, OK.
       Dear DHS Commission Members: This letter comes as a request 
     for you to take a bold step towards meeting one of the goals 
     I've set for Oklahoma--to reduce the divorce rate by \1/3\ by 
     2010. I'm asking you to make a commitment to spend up to $10 
     million this next year from TANF funds for strategies that 
     will strengthen Oklahoma marriages, resulting in a reduction 
     in divorce. In discussions between Secretary Regier and 
     Director Hendrick, it would appear that this level of funding 
     is an appropriate beginning for this important effort.
       Because of the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative, people in all 
     sectors of our society are taking notice of the consequences 
     of divorce, especially for families with children, and are 
     clamoring for action. While this is a very new subject for 
     policy makers, and there are a limited number of program 
     demonstrations to build on, the overriding need makes it 
     necessary to proceed with our best efforts.
       As we continue to build our strategy for reducing the 
     divorce rate, we must pay attention to what we can do to 
     address couple unions in low-income populations. We must also 
     look for strategies to strengthen two-parent families and 
     marriages for non-needy persons in these communities. 
     Certainly the federal government understood that when it 
     drafted the TANF guidelines, with three of the four goals 
     related to strengthening marriage/reducing divorce and 
     reducing out-of-wedlock births. These four goals are:
       (1) ``to provide assistance to needy families so that the 
     children may be cared for in their homes or in the homes of 
     relatives.''
       (2) ``to end dependence of needy parents on government 
     benefits by promoting job preparation, work and marriage . . 
     .''
       (3) ``to prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock 
     pregnancies and establish annual numerical goals for 
     preventing and reducing the incidence of these pregnancies''
       (4) ``to encourage the formation and maintenance of two-
     parent families.''
       As Commission Members, I don't need to tell you how vital 
     it is that we devote resources to support this important 
     goal. While some in the country are asking why the government 
     would become involved in the issue of marriage and divorce, 
     we know clearly the reasons because of our on-going 
     initiative:
       Many of society's ills can be traced to the rapidly 
     declining status of marriages in this country.
       Couples marrying for the first time today have at least a 
     50% chance of divorce.
       The conflict that precedes and surrounds divorce causes 
     great mental, physical and economic damage to parents and 
     children alike.
       The ``triple threat'' of martial conflict, divorce, and 
     out-of-wedlock births has led to a generation of U.S. 
     children at great risk for poverty, alienation, and 
     antisocial behavior.
       The decline in marriage cuts across nations, class religion 
     and races, however it is most marked among the poor. Low-
     income individuals are at higher risk of out-of-wedlock 
     childbearing, of cohabitation, are less likely to marry, and 
     when they do marry are more likely to separate and divorce 
     than middle or high-income couples. The proportion of 
     children who live with only one parent has more than doubled 
     nationally since 1970, from 12% to 28% in 1998.
       This development is causing growing concern among policy 
     makers and the public. The costs of single parenthood are 
     most serious for children and for society as a whole. Almost 
     half (49%) of children in female-headed households were poor 
     in 1998. Single-parent households are five times more likely 
     to be poor than two parent households. Studies document that 
     children raised in single-parent homes are at greater risk of 
     poverty, and other negative outcomes such as school drop out, 
     juvenile delinquency, teen pregnancy and themselves become 
     divorced. Nationally, over half of the parents receiving 
     welfare are not married to their child's other parent, nearly 
     20% are divorced or separated, 11% are married (DHHS, 1999).
       Several major theories have been put forward to account for 
     the nationwide decline in marriage. Certainly part of that 
     decline can be attributed to the expansion of welfare 
     programs that occurred in the late 1960s and 1970s. Since 
     these programs were targeted on single-parent families, it is 
     often argued that the government was stepping in to take the 
     place of others, undermining their responsibility to provide 
     for their families and creating financial incentives to break 
     up or discourage marriage on the theory that ``you get more 
     of what you subsidize.'' I applaud you for the changes you 
     have made in DHS policy to change this trend in Oklahoma.
       Now, I'm asking you to take the next step. . . . to build 
     the capacity of our systems to strengthen marriages and 
     reduce divorces. . . . and to provide new martial direct 
     services to all of our Citizens statewide. Over the coming 
     months we will be working with you to develop details of our 
     action plan, including some of the components summarized on 
     the attachment, and indeed DHS Director Hendrick will be 
     vitally involved in finalizing these plans with Secretary 
     Regier.
       There are many highlights of the plan that you will hear 
     about over the coming months, but both Cathy and I are 
     convinced of the value of skills training for couples. Over 
     this past year we have heard from several martial experts 
     that relational qualities and patterns of interaction assume 
     a much greater importance in contemporary marriages than 
     in former times. Most of the traditional economic, legal, 
     social and cultural constraints that used to keep 
     marriages together have fallen away. In addition couples 
     now have higher expectations for marital happiness--having 
     all one's needs met by one's marital partner--and are 
     readier to dissolve the union if they are not satisfied. 
     The result is that there is much more pressure on couples 
     ability to communicate well, negotiate and resolve 
     conflict, accept each other's differences, and stay 
     committed to working on their relationship. We must find 
     ways to help Oklahomans strengthen these skills if they 
     are to continue marriages in today's culture.
       Over a year ago I addressed all Oklahomans in my Inaugural 
     address and in my State of the State address to reduce the 
     social ills that hold us back as a people and as an economy. 
     I then asked Jerry Regier, my Cabinet Secretary for Health 
     and Human Services, to take the lead on building this 
     initiative on my behalf, and we've made great progress over 
     this past year in raising public awareness about the 
     consequences of divorce. During this upcoming year, I've told 
     Jerry to call on the very best experts in this country to 
     finalize and implement a strategy that will result in 
     stronger marriages. He is available to work with you and 
     Director Hendrick to make sure that we achieve our shared 
     goal of reducing the divorce rate in Oklahoma, as well as the 
     goal of TANF monies to promote and strengthen marriage.
       Thank you for your continued commitment to the citizens of 
     Oklahoma and I urge you to act now to obligate these critical 
     funds towards achieving our goals.
           Sincerely,
     Governor Frank Keating.
                                  ____


                      Oklahoma Marriage Initiative

       Summary of the goals of our plan:
       Community Covenants (religious leaders join other sector 
     leaders in community-based solutions to reduce the divorce 
     rate).
       Scholar-in-Residence: Oklahoma State University (national 
     marriage expert).
       On-going activities to keep marriage/divorce on the public 
     agenda.
       Statewide training/service delivery system (working with 
     the nation's experts to develop this system/curriculum that 
     will provide research-based skills training).
       Marriage Resource Center (information, mentorship, etc.).
       Research/Evaluation (in consultation with OSU and the 
     nation's best martial research experts).
       Improvement of our data system (to understand more about 
     our divorce rate and where to focus our resources).
       Second Annual Governor and First Lady's Conference on 
     Marriage.
       Fatherhood Projects (integration of fatherhood projects 
     into the marriage initiative).
       Mother Mentoring/Children First (integration of motherhood 
     projects into the marriage initiative.
       Support of other coalitions/services (pilot demonstration 
     projects that will strengthen couple relationships/marriage 
     in high-risk, vulnerable populations.).
       Media (tools for influencing and changing the culture . . . 
     putting issues on the public agenda).
       Charitable Choice liaison to lead the state's efforts to 
     partner with charitable and

[[Page H6029]]

     faith-based organizations in providing and delivering social 
     services.
       Youth Education/Prevention Programs (changing the attitudes 
     of young people who are yet to personally confront the issues 
     of marriage/divorce).

                          ____________________