[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 30 (Monday, March 14, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H1387-H1388]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  WELFARE REFORM EXTENSION ACT OF 2005

  Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1160) to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy 
Families block grant program through June 30, 2005, and for other 
purposes.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1160

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Welfare Reform Extension Act 
     of 2005''.

     SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF THE TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY 
                   FAMILIES BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM THROUGH JUNE 30, 
                   2005.

       (a) In General.--Activities authorized by part A of title 
     IV of the Social Security Act, and by sections 510, 1108(b), 
     and 1925 of such Act, shall continue through June 30, 2005, 
     in the manner authorized for fiscal year 2004, 
     notwithstanding section 1902(e)(1)(A) of such Act, and out of 
     any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise 
     appropriated, there are hereby appropriated such sums as may 
     be necessary for such purpose. Grants and payments may be 
     made pursuant to this authority through the third quarter of 
     fiscal year 2005 at the level provided for such activities 
     through the third quarter of fiscal year 2004.
       (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 403(a)(3)(H)(ii) of the 
     Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 603(a)(3)(H)(ii)) is amended 
     by striking ``March 31'' and inserting ``June 30''.

     SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF THE NATIONAL RANDOM SAMPLE STUDY OF 
                   CHILD WELFARE AND CHILD WELFARE WAIVER 
                   AUTHORITY THROUGH JUNE 30, 2005.

       Activities authorized by sections 429A and 1130(a) of the 
     Social Security Act shall continue through June 30, 2005, in 
     the manner authorized for fiscal year 2004, and out of any 
     money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise 
     appropriated, there are hereby appropriated such sums as may 
     be necessary for such purpose. Grants and payments may be 
     made pursuant to this authority through the third quarter of 
     fiscal year 2005 at the level provided for such activities 
     through the third quarter of fiscal year 2004.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Herger) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger).
  Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1160, the Welfare Reform 
Extension Act of 2005. Mr. Speaker, this legislation will continue 
funding for the Temporary Assistance For Needy Families Program and 
other related programs for 3 months through June 30th, 2005.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the ninth extension of these programs we have 
considered since their original authorization expired at the end of 
2002. In 2002 and 2003, the House passed comprehensive welfare reform 
legislation that would promote more work, provide more child care 
assistance and help more low-income families become self-sufficient. 
Unfortunately, our friends in the Senate did not follow suit, and 
therefore we have been forced to mark time.
  Still, we are encouraged that on March 9 the Senate Finance Committee 
approved a welfare reform bill and hope that this year the full Senate 
would pass such legislation so that we can make real progress.
  It is important that we are here today to continue funding for this 
remarkably successful program. Since the welfare reform law was passed 
in 1996, the number of families receiving welfare assistance has fallen 
more than 60 percent. More than 1.4 million children have been lifted 
from poverty. However, as we have marked time with this program through 
a series of short-term extensions, we have seen evidence that the gains 
made over the years are in jeopardy.
  Work among welfare recipients has declined in 3 of the last 4 years. 
Two million families remain dependent on government assistance, and we 
are not taking enough steps to strengthen families which will improve 
child well-being. We must do more to help strong families form and more 
parents go to work and achieve independence.
  Mr. Speaker, on the first day of the 109th Congress I joined the 
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Pryce), the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
DeLay), the majority leader, as well as the committee chairman and 
subcommittee chairman with jurisdiction over these programs to 
introduce H.R. 240, the Personal Responsibility, Work, and Family 
Promotion Act of 2005.
  Tomorrow, the Subcommittee on Human Resources, which I chair, will 
mark up this legislation, the first step in the process of again 
bringing it to the floor for a vote in the coming weeks. This 
legislation is nearly identical to the legislation this House passed in 
2002 and 2003, with appropriate updates given the passage of time since 
the last time the House acted.
  I look forward to working with all my colleagues to pass this 
legislation so we can get to conference and get a bill for the 
President's desk. House Republicans stand with President Bush and 
support the proposals he has championed that encourage more work and 
promote stronger families, and we will continue to work towards their 
implementation.
  It is unfortunate, as I have said in the past, that we have not been 
able to get such comprehensive welfare legislation to the President's 
desk for his signature. The budgetary pressures this year are a reality 
we all will work to address, which may involve difficult choices in 
some of these areas.

                              {time}  1500

  Our previous legislation ensured full funding for the TANF program 
while providing up to $4 billion more for child care so more parents 
could go to work. With record-high Federal budget deficits, the longer 
we wait, the harder it will be for us to provide for this level of 
welfare-to-work programs.
  I hope this extension is our last and by June 30 we will have sent 
long-term reauthorization legislation to the President. I look forward 
to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to make this a 
reality. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation before 
us today.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this temporary continuation of funding for 
TANF, Temporary Assistance For Needy Families. It also extends the

[[Page H1388]]

Child Care Development Block Grant Program and transitional medical 
assistance for people who leave welfare for work. The bill extends 
funding for these programs for the next 3 months without any changes in 
current law. As the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger) pointed out, 
this is the ninth temporary extension for TANF over the last 3 years.
  I agree with those who say we should be doing much more. I think it 
is wrong we have not brought forward legislation that deals with the 
reality of what has happened in our communities over the past 3 years. 
We have seen a significant growth in poverty in this country, growing 
by 4.3 million people. In 2003 alone, almost another 800,000 children 
fell into poverty; yet we see no action by this body to deal with the 
realities in our community.
  Regrettably, the long-term welfare reauthorization plan put forward 
by my Republican colleagues largely ignores this problem. The gentleman 
from California (Mr. Herger) has pointed out that TANF has been 
remarkably successful, using his own terms; yet the legislation they 
bring forward radically changes the program by putting more mandates on 
States and less opportunity to tailor the program to meet the needs of 
individual States and fails to give the resources necessary in order to 
accomplish the task.
  Instead, they have suggested that poverty is rising because welfare 
recipients are not working hard enough. However, this suggestion falls 
flat when Members consider one basic fact: the welfare rolls have been 
declining as we continue to see an increase in poverty. That points out 
the fact that there are just no jobs available. We are going through a 
recession; it is not that we have welfare recipients who are failing to 
work. They cannot find jobs; and when they do find jobs, these jobs do 
not pay enough. They need job training and help to move up the economic 
ladder.
  Mr. Speaker, we should be providing more child care assistance, more 
job training, and a higher minimum wage; and yet in all three of these 
areas, the majority and President Bush have resisted such reforms. In 
fact, as the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger) points out, the 
Subcommittee On Human Resources is scheduled to mark up legislation 
tomorrow which is nearly identical to the same bill we have been 
debating for the last 3 years. In baseball, it is three strikes and you 
are out. Unfortunately, that does not apply here; otherwise perhaps we 
would finally get a bill that would be worthy of bipartisan support. We 
do not seem to be getting that from the majority.
  While we are doing this, the other body is working on legislation, 
which I am happy to report. As the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Herger) pointed out, the Senate Finance Committee has given a road map 
by recently reporting a bipartisan bill to improve TANF. Let me 
underscore that. The Senate Finance Committee reported a bipartisan 
bill, a bill that represents give and take among all of the Members of 
the committee.
  Mr. Speaker, I am not thrilled by all of the provisions in the bill 
that was marked up, but I think it does allow us to move forward to get 
a bill to the President's desk. It increases access to education rather 
than placing new limitations on education and training. It does not 
double work hours for mothers with young children. It does not include 
an open-ended superwaiver authority that could reduce protections for 
food stamps and housing benefits, and includes six times as much new 
child care funding compared to the bill that will be marked up tomorrow 
in our committee.
  As I said, the Senate finance bill is far from perfect, and I hope it 
will improve when considered by the full Senate; but it represents a 
much better approach than the Republican bill in this body. I hope we 
can continue to work towards a long-term bill that reflects many of the 
improvements made in the Senate bill.
  In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, I support this temporary extension of 
current law, hope we can work together, and hope we have a bill worthy 
of bipartisan support we can get to the President.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in 2002 and 2003, this House passed long-term 
reauthorization legislation to encourage more work among welfare 
recipients and to provide more resources for States to assist low-
income families. I am encouraged that last week the Senate Committee on 
Finance reported a welfare reform bill. Tomorrow, the subcommittee I 
chair will mark up long-term reauthorization, and it is my hope that 
over the next few months we can pass long-term legislation and send a 
bill to the President for his signature.
  But until that happens, it is important that we continue these 
programs, so we do need to pass this bill. Therefore, I urge all my 
colleagues to support this legislation.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am here today to support the 
extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant 
Program through June 30, 2005.
  For the ninth time since September 2002, the U.S. House today is 
attempting to pass another short-term extension of the nation's welfare 
system, by approving the Welfare Reform Extension Act of 2004 under our 
suspension calendar.
  For the sake of the millions of families that remain in the welfare 
system, we need a final agreement that will help Americans achieve 
independence and a brighter future. While I am glad that the House Ways 
and Means Committee is taking action, it is still disturbing that we 
must continue to pass extensions rather than create a comprehensive 
reform that will help families for generations to come.
  The 1996 welfare reform law authorized Temporary Assistance for Needy 
Families and related welfare programs through September 30, 2002. The 
House passed comprehensive welfare reauthorization bills in 2002 and 
2003. The Senate's failure to approve a comprehensive reauthorization 
bill has forced both bodies to fund welfare programs since September 
2002 through a series of short-term extensions, without any further 
improvements. The last short term extension from March 2004 is set to 
expire on June 30, 2005, until the U.S. Senate can complete its work.
  Every day that passes without a comprehensive agreement means more 
low-income families depending on governmental assistance. It means less 
work and job preparation by parents. It means fewer child care and 
child support resources available to help families. It means more 
poverty. And it means more families going into debt and creating more 
obstacles to financial freedom. It's time to deliver on this vital 
legislation.
  As chair of the Congressional Children's Caucus, I know that many of 
the people that will suffer from lack of comprehensive benefits are 
children. These children are not the ones who are making decisions for 
the family, but are the ones that are suffering from it. The government 
must step in and take a proactive role to see that such imbalances are 
set right. As we reauthorize TANF today, let's go one step further and 
create a working assistance program that has long term solutions.
  Mr. HERGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Petri). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Herger) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1160.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________