[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15593]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           INTRODUCTION OF THE WELFARE INTEGRITY ACT OF 2011

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                        HON. STEPHEN LEE FINCHER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 13, 2011

  Mr. FINCHER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the gross misuse of 
taxpayer money by continuing to provide benefits under the Temporary 
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to recipients who test 
positive for illegal drug use or are convicted of drug related crimes.
  At a time when Congress is focused on trimming budgets, it is 
imperative we focus on eliminating irresponsible funding. That is why I 
am introducing the Welfare Integrity Act of 2011. This legislation is a 
step toward eliminating abuse of taxpayer money by requiring all state 
receiving funds from the TANF program to certify they are testing 
applicants and current recipients for illegal drug use.
  Americans are generous in providing assistance to those in need, but 
they also expect their tax dollars to be used in a responsible manner. 
Welfare assistance is meant to help those going through hard financial 
times to buy food and basic living expenses for their families. It's 
not too much to ask folks to keep clean in order to receive federal 
assistance.
  Mr Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to support me in 
passing the Welfare Integrity Act of 2011 to eliminate abuse and take a 
step toward commonsense.

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