SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY

LENGTH: 536 words

COMMITTEE: HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS

SUBCOMMITTEE: HUMAN RESOURCE

HEADLINE: WELFARE OVERHAUL PROPOSALS

TESTIMONY-BY: SISTER MARY ELIZABETH CLARK,, SPOKESPERSON,

AFFILIATION: NETWORK, NATIONAL CATHOLIC SOCIAL JUSTICE LOBBY

BODY:
Statement of

Sister Mary Elizabeth Clark, Spokesperson, NETWORK, National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Human Resources of the House

Committee on Ways and Means

Hearing on Welfare Reform Reauthorization Proposals

April 11, 2002

Good afternoon, Chairman Herger, distinguished members of the Subcommittee and friends. As a spokesperson for NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, I am honored to represent thousands of NETWORK members who lobby with us on issues of economic justice. NETWORK has been surveying, researching and educating our membership and others about the nation's welfare system for many years. We lobbied for improvements in the legislation prior to the 1996 change. Since then, NETWORK has published two reports, Poverty Amid Plenty: The Unfinished Business of Welfare Reform in 1999 and Welfare Reform: How Do We Define Success? in 2001.These reports include both scientific and anecdotal evidence gathered during in-depth interviews of 4000 people in emergency facilities such as soup kitchens, food pantries and health clinics. We are convinced that each of you believes, as NETWORK does, that we are a country called to uphold the highest moral principles. Those moral principles, laid out for us in our Constitution, call us "to form a more perfect union, to provide for the general welfare and to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity." Therefore, the existence of over 31 million people in poverty in this nation is a scandal.

NETWORK believes that an increase in funding at least by inflation is necessary to provide the needed resources for people who are leaving welfare to work. Maintaining TANF at $16.5 billion per year is really a reduction in funding. Over the last five years, inflation has caused a decrease, and, by 2007, a projected bite of 22 cents will be taken out of every dollar. We have heard from the National Governors Association that states spent some $2 billion more than the $16.5 billion the federal government provided in TANF funding so far this year.

There are hard working families in NETWORK's report and in many other reports who have not been able to find a living wage job. With the costs of housing, child care, transportation, food and other necessities, families just cannot make it on minimum wage service jobs. NETWORK believes in the dignity of the human person as a primary social justice principle.

In our survey, we found there is a strong correlation between whether a person has some level of higher education and how much they earn. We know that effective job training programs provide people with tools they need to become independent, and daycare and other programs help them retain jobs while meeting the needs of their families.

We have just completed workshops on TANF Reauthorization in 21 sites across the country and have heard welfare workers, social service providers and TANF recipients themselves call for an increase in the funding so that appropriate levels of services can be provided. I would now like to introduce to you Maggie Millan from Tampa, Florida, who is one among many who can validate that call.



LOAD-DATE: May 1, 2002