SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY

LENGTH: 1354 words

COMMITTEE: SENATE FINANCE

HEADLINE: LESSONS LEARNED FROM WELFARE OVERHAUL

TESTIMONY-BY: JOHN BREAUX, SENATOR

BODY:
U.S. SENATOR JOHN BREAUX

ON WELFARE REFORM SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE HEARING

TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2002

We did a brave thing in 1996, when we fundamentally changed the way welfare works in this country by creating the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant. Since then, we have reduced the cash assistance caseloads nationwide by more than 50 percent, and I have been impressed by the success of the law.

We created a law that has changed the mentality of welfare from dependence to independence. We know that how we treat those at the bottom of the economic ladder defines who we are as a country. The very concept of welfare has evolved- the welfare mom getting a check has been replaced by a web of services to low- income families to get and keep a job. Some have questioned whether Congress will have time to do welfare reform this year. I ask, can something that affects millions of Americans and has broad bipartisan support make it onto the Congressional radar screen? Or is it politics as usual- we will blame each other for what we can't get done instead of all taking credit for a job well done?

My challenge to Congress is to make it our priority to reauthorize welfare reform despite the fact that both parties can go into this election year claiming credit for it. Millions of families are struggling to make ends meet and are seeking opportunities to move up the career ladder.

In Louisiana, I have heard story after story from individuals who leave welfare to go to work and how proud they are of what they have accomplished. At the same time, many worry about their children's welfare when they are not around. Last Fall, a constituent.from Louisiana who moved from welfare to work told me that her 16-year old daughter now had a baby of her own, and that with adequate supervision perhaps this may not have happened.

Her story highlights the need to look closely at what works in welfare reform so we can make improvements. In 1996, we increased funding for child care, told states to move people into jobs and to do whatever it takes to keep them in jobs. And as a result, states now use welfare funds on education, training, child care, transportation and other programs intended to help people get a job or keep a job.

This leads to the next question, "What can we do better?"

First, 1 hear over and over again about child care. Child care is expensive, especially high quality child care. National studies show only 12 percent of children eligible for federally subsidized child care get it. So as we discuss making work requirements even more stringent for people on welfare, the increasing need for working families to have quality child care is highlighted.

Second, we must make sure former welfare recipients have health care. In 1996, I had grave concerns that people leaving welfare would lose their health benefits or even worse, people would stay on welfare for fear of losing their health benefits. Low-income families must continue to have access to health benefits, especially since many jobs do not offer employee health benefits in the first year of employment.

Third, we need more meaningful work requirements. There is a loophole in the current law that undermines the work requirements we created in 1996. We can close this loophole by making sure that states have an incentive to move people off welfare cash assistance and into jobs.

Fourth, we must continue to ensure that low-income individuals have access to education and training programs that provide them with the skills to move up the career ladder. This effort becomes even more important today because the individuals remaining on the welfare rolls tend to be the least educated and least skilled individuals.

Many families have given up a welfare check for a pay check. But we have learned a paycheck isn't always big enough to lift families out of poverty. We knew this in 1996, and that is why we gave states the flexibility to use welfare funds to pay for programs that support these working families. Such flexibility has been key to helping families help themselves.

Welfare reform was one of the greatest social experiment of my lifetime. We changed the mentality of an entire generation by giving them a hand-up instead of a hand-out. And now we must renew the commitment we made in 1996 to help more low-income families by reauthorizing the welfare reform law this year.

As chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy, i am committed to working with my colleagues to reach a tripartisan agreement on welfare reform.



LOAD-DATE: March 13, 2002