[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 63 (Thursday, May 16, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H2516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1045
                  2002 WELFARE REFORM REAUTHORIZATION

  (Mr. ROYCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, prior to 1996 Deborah from California was a 
single mother caring for her two daughters, a disabled son and a niece. 
She had no high school diploma. She had no prior work experience. But 
in 1996 we passed a Republican welfare reform bill which enabled people 
like Deborah to get off of welfare and into work. The new support 
services and the new training programs enabled her to become a 
certified nurse at a hospital close to her home, and that enabled her 
to take care of her children.
  Americans on welfare can now live better lives because of the passage 
of that bill. There have been 3 million children that have been listed 
out of poverty since 1996. Welfare caseloads have declined by 9 million 
and employment of single mothers on welfare rose by 40 percent. We have 
taken the first step in getting people off of welfare. This year we 
need to take the second step by decreasing welfare caseloads by 
promoting work and healthy marriages, by improving child well-being and 
quality of life and by strengthening families.

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