[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 12, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S3623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SMITH (for himself, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Allen, Mr. 
        Warner, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Burns, Mr. 
        Coleman, and Mr. Dayton):
  S. 605. A bill to extend waivers under the temporary assistance to 
needy families program through the end of fiscal year 2008; to the 
Committee on Finance.
  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation that 
would allow States with successful welfare to renew them for the next 
five years. In this effort, I am joined by Senators Wyden, Baucus, 
Allen, Warner, Kerry, Kennedy, Akaka, Burns, and Coleman. All of our 
States and several others operate their welfare programs under waivers 
which allow them flexibility to design programs that work for people in 
their States.
  The most comprehensive evaluation of welfare workforce strategies to 
date, commissioned and funded by the Department of Health and Human 
Services, demonstrated that a mixed strategy based on individual degree 
of job readiness was far and away the most effective way to transition 
families from welfare to work. This is the approach Oregon and others 
have taken, and I feel strongly that these States be allowed to 
continue their innovative and successful programs.
  Oregon has long been considered a national leader in developing 
innovative strategies to serve its low-income citizens. Oregon's 
welfare waiver, known as ``The Oregon Option,'' was implemented just a 
few months before passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work 
Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. The Oregon Option reflects 
Oregon's strong belief in moving families forward to sustainable 
employment. Consistent with Oregon's reputation as an innovator, the 
Oregon Option also rejects a ``one size fits all'' approach for its low 
income families.
  Oregon uses a labor market test to assess each person's ability to 
work. Families are expected to engage in intense job search for 45 days 
and if that process identifies significant barriers to families finding 
and retaining employment, case managers will work with the families to 
identify resources available to address those barriers. The case 
managers then work to develop appropriate plans that engage families in 
barrier removal activities, such as education, substance abuse or 
mental health treatment, finding housing for victims of domestic 
violence, while moving them toward employment. Oregon officials 
estimate that at any time, approximately 50 percent of all TANF 
families have substantial barriers to employment.
  Oregon has demonstrated success in moving families into employment by 
fully utilizing its flexibility under the Oregon Option waiver. Oregon, 
and other states that have used federal flexibility to design 
successful programs, must not be forced either to abandon their 
effective approaches or to try to find loopholes to circumvent the 
approach mandated by current reauthorization proposals.
  The legislation that my colleagues and I are introducing today will 
allow all states with currently operational TANF waivers, and states 
with waivers expiring after January 1, 2002, the option of renewing 
their waivers for the next five years, until the next scheduled 
reauthorization of welfare in 2008. This will ensure that successful 
programs designed by local people for local people aren't eliminated in 
favor of a ``one-size-fits-all'' federal program.
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