[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 7, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H2114]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          WELFARE REFORM WORKS

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to say that 
welfare reform works. Yes, welfare reform works. The monumental reform 
that this Republican House achieved in 1996 allows families to defeat 
poverty and regain their independence.
  However, it is time to continue the good work from 1996. I voted last 
week for the Working Toward Independence Act approved by the Committee 
on Education and the Workforce, and we need to continue to support 
measures that promote healthy, two-parent families, and oppose 
provisions that penalize married couples.
  President Bush has set an aggressive agenda for keeping families 
together, and this House has a chance to solidify this effort through 
the Republican bill for reauthorization.
  The 2.3 million families who have used the reforms to become self-
supporting deserve this reform. The countless numbers of families who 
are still working to achieve independence need this reform. Why do we 
need this reform? Because welfare reform works.

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