[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 12 (Monday, February 6, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S723-S724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               FAMILY OPPORTUNITY ACT AND WELFARE REFORM

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, on Wednesday, February 1, 2006, the 
House of Representatives passed the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, DRA, 
clearing the way for the President to sign this bill into law. This 
legislation was the product of a great deal of work on the part of 
Members and our dedicated staff and the experts who work in the 
congressional support agencies.
  I would like to highlight two provisions in the DRA: the Family 
Opportunity Act and the reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for 
Needy Families and pay special tribute to the Members and staff who 
worked so hard on them over many years.
  Mr. President, I am particularly pleased that after years and years, 
the Family Opportunity Act is about to become law. This legislation has 
been something of a crusade of mine. This legislation extends Medicaid 
eligibility to families with a severely disabled child that are faced 
with either staying poor in order to continue to qualify for Medicaid 
or, worse, relinquishing a child to the State so that the child can 
receive the services that the child needs.
  The introduction of the Family Opportunity Act was motivated by the 
circumstances of individual families, the Melissa Arnold Family and the 
Dylan Lee Family. I offer my heartfelt thanks to these families for 
sharing their struggles with me and for being the inspiration for this 
legislation.
  I pay special tribute to my partner in this endeavor, Senator Edward 
Kennedy, who is a tireless champion on behalf of children and those 
with disabilities. During the many years we worked side by side on this 
bill, Senator Kennedy was most ably assisted by Connie Garner, of his 
staff.
  On my own staff, I would like to single out the efforts of Hope 
Cooper who worked for many years on the Family Opportunity Act and 
whose knowledge and compassion were invaluable assets in developing the 
bill.
  I also appreciate the work done by policy leads, Leah Kegler, Becky 
Shipp; health policy director, Mark Hayes; deputy staff director, Ted 
Totman, and staff director for the Finance Committee, Kolan Davis.
  I am grateful for the work done by Jeanne De Sa and Eric Rollins at 
the Congressional Budget Office and Ruth Ernst at the Office of 
Legislative Counsel, especially for their patience in analyzing and 
drafting the many different versions of the legislation.
  Mr. President, the reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for 
Needy Families, TANF, has been a long and very difficult process, 
spanning three Congresses. Everyone who has worked on this 
reauthorization has been guided by a fundamental principle: helping 
those in deep and persistent poverty achieve the economic self 
sufficiency needed to overcome that poverty. We may disagree on some of 
the best ways to overcome poverty, but everyone who devoted their labor 
to this program did so out of the best of intentions.
  I particularly thank my friend and partner on the Senate Finance 
Committee, Senator Max Baucus, for his work on this program over the 
past 5 years. We didn't always agree, but we kept working together 
until we finally got to a compromise that satisfied us both. I hope at 
some point we can revisit some of the common themes we developed 
together in the PRIDE bill.
  I thank Senator Baucus's staff who worked on this issue over the past 
5 years, Doug Steiger, Kate Kahan, and Liz Fowler. They are passionate, 
knowledgeable, and care deeply about low-income programs and the 
individuals who rely upon them.
  Other Members and their staff who contributed to the policy and the 
process include, the initial ``Tripartisan'' members: Senator John 
Breaux and his staff, Sara Triagle and Michelle Easton; Senator Orrin 
Hatch and his staff, Becky Shipp; Senator Jay Rockefeller and his 
staff, Barbara Pryor; Senator Olympia Snowe and her staff, Carolyn 
Holmes; Senator James Jeffords and his staff, Justin King; Senator 
Blanche Lincoln and her staff, Elizabeth MacDonald and Mike Anzick.
  Other critical Members and staff include: Majority Leader Bill Frist 
and

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his staff, Eric Ueland and Libby Jarvis; Minority Leader Tom Daschle, 
and his staff, Joan Huffer; Senator Rick Santorum and his staff, Randy 
Brandt; Senator Christopher Dodd and his staff, Grace Reef; and Megan 
Hauck, who contributed as a advisor to Senator Don Nickles, as well as 
working at the Department of Health and Human Services Office of 
Legislation and the White House.
  Throughout much of the process, Members and staff were indebted to 
the expertise of the Director of the Office of Family Assistance at the 
Administration of Children and Families, Andrew Bush and the Assistant 
Secretary for Human Service Policy in the Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Don Winstead.
  The Congress simply could not do our work, were it not for the 
incredibly talented and hardworking individuals serving in the 
congressional support agencies. We owe a substantial debt of gratitude 
for the work done by Gene Falk, Melinda Gish, and Carmen Soloman Fears 
at the Congressional Research Service; Shelia Dacey at the 
Congressional Budget Office; and Ruth Ernst at the Office of the 
Legislative Council.
  As ranking member and then chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, 
I was well served by policy leads, Hope Cooper and Becky Shipp; health 
policy director, Mark Hayes; deputy staff director, Ted Totman; and 
staff director for the Finance Committee, Kolan Davis.

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