[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 2 (Thursday, January 24, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E24]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SUPPORTING THE NEXT STEP IN REFORMING WELFARE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 24, 2002

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the ``Next Step in 
Reforming Welfare Act'' for which I am an original cosponsor.
  In 1996, I vehemently opposed the ``Temporary Assistance for Needy 
Families Act,'' which changed our nation's welfare system, because it 
removed an important safety net for the poor and the most vulnerable in 
our society. I still hold these views today.
  However, I support the ``Next Step in Reforming Welfare Act'' 
because--unlike the 1996 law--this new legislation improves our 
national safety net and actually helps the poor and most vulnerable in 
our society. This bill increases funding for TANF, redirects the goal 
of the program to that of poverty reduction, rewards work, provides new 
funding for work support programs, like child care, and encourages 
states to better assist hard-to-serve TANF recipients.
  The ``Next Step in Reforming Welfare Act'' increases the TANF block 
grant by inflation, and more than doubles child care funding so that 
more families are able to go to work.
  This legislation appropriately redirects the goal of the TANF program 
to reducing poverty. This replaces the draconian idea that the purpose 
of welfare is to kick TANF recipients off the rolls as fast as 
possible. The bill accomplishes this by making child poverty reduction 
an explicit goal of TANF and by providing $150 million each year in 
incentive grants to states who reduce child poverty.
  Another important focus of this legislation is its commitment to 
increasing quality childcare to current and former TANF recipients. The 
bill triples the portion of the Child Care Development Block Grant 
available for this purpose. Additionally, the bill requires that all 
TANF funding used for childcare only be used in facilities that meet 
state health and safety standards. It also increases the age for which 
childcare must be available for children from 6 to 13 years old.
  This bill directs resources to TANF recipients who suffer from 
disabilities, substance abuse, domestic violence, and lack of 
proficiency in English. It requires states to assess and screen 
recipients to determine if they need rehabilitative or educational 
services to go to work. It also provides families in these situations a 
chance to get on their feet by allowing rehabilitative services to 
count as a work activity for six months.
  These changes in TANF are a first step toward improving our welfare 
system so that it truly helps poor working families and gives them not 
just a safety net, but also springboard out of poverty. I hope that my 
colleagues in the House will work with me to make TANF a program we can 
all be proud of.

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