[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 30, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S3320]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             WELFARE REFORM

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about the issue 
before the Senate. The previous comments this morning sounded like a 
political rally. We ought to talk about the issues before the Senate 
instead of spending all our time criticizing the President.
  We have before the Senate welfare reform, to extend what we have done 
in the past. Welfare reform has been a remarkable success story for 
millions of people. Welfare reform is working because former recipients 
are working. Families once dependent on welfare checks are now looking 
forward to the independence of a paycheck. That, of course, has been 
the purpose of the program. Through the years it has been very 
successful.
  This bill deals with the effort to provide meaningful work and more 
opportunity for welfare recipients to move off welfare, to promote 
healthy families, to provide opportunity for health and marriage 
programs, to give States the flexibility to continue to work on the 
programs they have had.
  We are very pleased this is now before the Senate. As a Finance 
Committee member who has worked on this for a very long time, it is 
something that we need to pass and make available to people in this 
country.
  The legislation before the Senate, H.R. 4, the Personal 
Responsibility and Individual Development for Everyone Act, makes the 
necessary changes in existing law to make it even more of a success. 
America began a war on poverty more than three decades ago. However, 
the good intentions of that policy produced conflicting results. 
Seniors were lifted out of poverty, poor families received basic health 
care, and disadvantaged children were given a head start in life.
  Many Americans were injured by that helping hand. The welfare system 
actually became an enemy of individual efforts and responsibility. As 
dependence passed from one generation to the next, the vicious welfare 
cycle began for some families.
  Between 1965 and 1995, Federal and State welfare spending increased 
from $40 billion to more than $350 billion per year. However, all this 
money produced virtually no progress in reducing child poverty.
  In August 1996, Congress passed a progressive welfare reform law that 
transferred welfare benefits into temporary help, not into a permanent 
way of life. The new system honors work by requiring all able-bodied 
recipients to work or go back to school to further their education.
  The goal of the 1996 welfare reform law was to give participants a 
strong, time-limited support system as they developed long-life skills 
that encourage independence.
  That is the purpose of this entire program. It has been successful. 
It provides childcare funding to help families meet the work 
requirements while limiting the benefits to 5 years. States must 
promote self-sufficiency. They are given the flexibility to reach that 
goal.
  The following results of the 1996 landmark welfare reform bill speak 
for themselves. From August 1996 to June 2003, the number of families 
on welfare fell from 4.4 million to 2 million, a 54-percent decline. In 
the same time period, the number of individuals fell from 12.2 million 
to less than 5 million, a decline of 60 percent. From 1996 to 2002, 
child poverty went from 20.5 percent to 16.7 percent. This represents a 
reduction of over 2.3 million poor children.

  Child poverty rates among African Americans and Hispanics were at or 
near record low levels. The percentage of never married working mothers 
increased from 49.3 in 1996 to 65 percent in 2002. Childcare funding 
has continued at record levels. Let me say that again: Childcare 
funding has continued at record levels. We are going to be faced with a 
resolution shortly to increase that. The fact is, we have had ample 
dollars in the past. We have fewer people now and all different kinds 
of programs going into that. I hope we do not add $6 billion to the 
cost of the program.
  State and Federal funding for childcare from the childcare 
development block grant, TANF, and social services block grant 
increased from $3.2 billion in 1996 to $11.8 billion in 2003. In 2003, 
an estimated 2.5 million children will receive subsidized childcare 
from these funding sources. From 1996 to 2003, child support 
collections increased from $12 billion to $21 billion. This 
demonstrates a pattern of success, moving people in the direction this 
was designed to move them.
  Wyoming, my home State, has had particularly good luck. In the wake 
of these changes, welfare reform has been phenomenal. In fact, the 
number of individuals receiving assistance has dropped approximately 90 
percent since 1994. This was accomplished with total weekly hour 
requirements of work of 40 hours, which is above and beyond the current 
law. That is what is in the reauthorization bill before the Senate.
  Last year, Wyoming received a $19.9 million bonus for reducing the 
out-of-wedlock birth rate.
  Wyoming also has over $30 million in reserve funds they are able to 
use when this bill is passed. This increased flexibility will not only 
help my State keep folks off the welfare rolls, but provide assistance 
to childcare and other expenses while continuing on their path of self-
sufficiency.
  I am very proud of my State's success. Our experience proves welfare 
reform is a strong and comprehensive policy to uplift and empower 
people to be able to earn for themselves. I am encouraged by the 
initial results of welfare reform, but there is still a lot of work to 
do.
  I support the chairman's bill because it does the following: It 
increases work hours to 34. This is better to prepare recipients for 
full-time employment. I would like to see that number of work hours be 
increased to 40. Wyoming has made that work well.
  This creates a partial credit system for States doing everything they 
can to make this even better. We have increased childcare spending by 
$1 billion over 5 years. It allows the States to use Federal money no 
longer used on cash assistance. Increased flexibility allows for more 
activities.
  I hope we move this out of committee. We have been deferring it by 
extending the old bill. We need to put the new bill into place. We need 
to stop the uncertainty for the States as to what we are doing.
  I thank Chairman Grassley for his leadership. I hope we can move this 
week to conference and keep our commitments to equip TANF recipients 
with the skills they need to take care of themselves and their 
families.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.

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