[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 62 (Wednesday, May 15, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H2479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 COURAGEOUS REPUBLICANS REFORM WELFARE

  (Mr. SCHROCK asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SCHROCK. Mr. Speaker, before 1996, it was evident to most 
Americans that the welfare system was out of control and needed 
immediate and meaningful reform. So in 1996, the Republican-led 
Congress had the courage to reform welfare, making work the centerpiece 
for the new law, providing a hand-up, not a handout. Since then, 
millions of Americans have left the welfare rolls, child poverty rolls 
have dropped, and the poverty rate among African Americans is at a new 
all-time record.
  Welfare reform has required millions of poor Americans to obtain 
employment, leading them from dependency on the government to personal 
independence and from low self-esteem to self-respect and self-
confidence as they lifted themselves out of poverty.
  Mr. Speaker, now this Congress is tasked with the reauthorization of 
the Welfare Reform Act. We must continue our progress by strengthening 
the path towards independence through work. Welfare reform has given 
millions of Americans a second chance at the American dream, and they 
are achieving it. Let us not turn back the clock on these wonderful 
achievements. Let us stay the course, ensuring life, liberty and the 
pursuit of happiness for all Americans.

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