[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1994, Book I)]
[June 21, 1994]
[Page 1112]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 1112]]


Message to the Congress Transmitting Proposed Welfare Reform Legislation
June 21, 1994

To the Congress of the United States:
    I am pleased to transmit for your immediate consideration and 
enactment the ``Work and Responsibility Act of 1994.''
    It is time to end welfare as we know it and replace it with a system 
that is based on work and responsibility--a system that will help people 
help themselves. This legislation reinforces the fundamental values of 
work, responsibility, family, and community. It rewards work over 
welfare. It signals that people should not have children until they are 
ready to support them, and that parents--both parents--who bring 
children into the world must take responsibility for supporting them. It 
gives people access to the skills they need and expects work in return. 
Most important, it will give people back the dignity that comes from 
work and independence. The cost of the proposal to the Federal 
Government is estimated at $9.3 billion over 5 years and is fully 
offset, primarily through reductions in entitlements and without new tax 
increases.
    The Work and Responsibility Act of 1994 will replace welfare with 
work. Under this legislation, welfare will be about a paycheck, not a 
welfare check. Our approach is based on a simple compact designed to 
reinforce and reward work. Each recipient will be required to develop a 
personal employability plan designed to move that individual into the 
work force as quickly as possible. Support, job training, and child care 
will be provided to help people move from dependence to independence. 
Time limits will ensure that anyone who can work, must work--in the 
private sector if possible, in a temporary subsidized job if necessary.
    This legislation includes several provisions aimed at creating a new 
culture of mutual responsibility. It includes provisions to promote 
parental responsibility and ensure that both parents contribute to their 
children's well-being. This legislation establishes the toughest child 
support enforcement program ever. It also includes: incentives directly 
tied to the performance of the welfare office; extensive efforts to 
detect and prevent welfare fraud; sanctions to prevent gaming of the 
welfare system; and a broad array of incentives that States can use to 
encourage responsible behavior.
    Preventing teen pregnancy and out-of-wedlock births is a critical 
part of welfare reform. To prevent welfare dependency, teenagers must 
get the message that staying in school, postponing pregnancy, and 
preparing to work are the right things to do. Our prevention approach 
includes a national campaign against teen pregnancy and a national 
clearinghouse on teen pregnancy prevention. Roughly 1,000 middle and 
high schools in disadvantaged areas will receive grants to develop 
innovative teen pregnancy prevention programs.
    The Work and Responsibility Act of 1994 proposes dramatic changes in 
our welfare system, changes so bold that they cannot be accomplished 
overnight. We can phase in these changes by focusing on young people, to 
send a clear message to the next generation that we are ending welfare 
as we know it. The bill targets resources on welfare beneficiaries born 
after December 31, 1971. This means that over time, more and more 
welfare beneficiaries will be affected by the new rules: about a third 
of the caseload in 1997, and half by the year 2000. States that want to 
phase in faster will have the option of doing so.
    The results of these changes will be far-reaching. In the year 2000, 
2.4 million adults will be subject to the new rules under welfare 
reform, including time limits and work requirements. Almost 1 million 
people will be either off welfare or working.
    But the impact of welfare reform cannot be measured in these numbers 
alone. This legislation is aimed at strengthening families and 
instilling personal responsibility by helping people help themselves. We 
owe every child in America the chance to watch their parents assume the 
responsibility and dignity of a real job. This bill is designed to make 
that possible.
    I urge the Congress to take prompt and favorable action on this 
legislation.

                                                      William J. Clinton

The White House,

June 21, 1994.