[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 48 (Thursday, April 25, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H1623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TANF REAUTHORIZATION

  (Ms. SOLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, as we work to create welfare reform 
legislation, we must make sure that TANF recipients have access to 
higher education and suitable child care. Recipients need to earn 
higher wages that will lift them out of the cycle of poverty.
  Forty-four percent of adults receiving TANF cash assistance in 1999 
lacked a high school diploma or a GED certificate. In my district 
alone, the female recipients there had less than an eighth grade 
education. In Los Angeles County, about 41 percent of the TANF caseload 
are limited-English proficient. That is to say that they do not speak 
English. Their primary language may be Spanish or even Chinese.
  Clearly, TANF recipients need educational opportunities before they 
can qualify for high-quality paying jobs and livable wages, not just 
minimum-wage jobs.
  Given this reality, I am disappointed that the Bush administration 
has chosen to ignore the need to extend educational opportunities. We 
cannot get people into good jobs if they only have 12 months of 
training. We need to extend that to 2 years, at a minimum, so that they 
can go on into higher education.

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