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WELFARE TO WORK MEANS DIGNITY OF PAYCHECK AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL -- HON.
RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN (Extensions of Remarks - April 10, 2002)
[Page: E482] GPO's PDF
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HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN
OF NEW JERSEY
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Wednesday, April 10, 2002
- Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, this year Congress will reauthorize the
landmark welfare reform law that we first passed in 1996. I am pleased to
announce that President Bush's proposed welfare reforms build on our successes
in that historic 1996 welfare reform law by encouraging personal
responsibility, continuing to focus on strengthening families and helping more
welfare recipients find work and secure their independence.
- Back in 1996, Members of Congress worked together to reach a historic,
bipartisan agreement to reform the welfare system. These efforts resulted in
one of the greatest public policy successes in decades as millions of
Americans went from welfare to work. Since 1996, welfare dependency has
decreased dramatically. The number of individuals receiving cash assistance
has dropped by 56 percent, more single mothers are employed, and child poverty
rates are at the lowest level since 1978. These reforms are more than simply a
win for taxpayers who for years and years supported an ineffective system with
their hard-earned tax dollars. The new system has provided opportunity for
millions of Americans who jumped at the chance to improve the quality of their
lives by getting a job and providing for their families, all while achieving
the dignity of doing it on their own. Our `Welfare to Work' reforms helped
those less fortunate with a hand up, instead of a handout.
- Every state has benefited from these reforms, and in my New Jersey's 11th
Congressional District, we have witnessed many success stories. Here are just
a few examples:
- 1. An HIV-positive single mother, with one child and separated from an
abusive husband, entered the Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)
in 1995. Her case manager arranged transportation and childcare for her, which
allowed her to complete sufficient college courses for entry into the
Morristown Memorial Hospital School of Cardiovascular Technology. She was one
of 12 students accepted into the competitive, demanding program and graduated
fourth in her class. While attending school, she gained valuable work
experience through the Alternative Work Experience Program. On completing
training , she began working in
a doctor's office. Post TANF
(Temporary Aid for Needy Families) childcare facilitated her ability to have
excellent attendance and, ultimately, a promotion to Cardiovascular
Technologist at $40,000 per year.
- She has purchased a home and is a foster-parent to several children. After
extensive marriage counseling and family therapy, arranged through her case
manager, she reunited with her husband in 1999. She credits her case manager
with providing counseling, training ,a and support services in
``turning my life around in ways I could never imagine before I entered the
TANF (Temporary Aid for Needy
Families) program.''
- 2. A 23 year-old domestic violence victim and single mother of two small
children entered the AFDC (Aid for Families with Dependent Children) program
in 1995. At her case manager's urging, she enrolled in a GED course. TANF childcare and transportation
support enabled her to obtain her high school diploma and gain admission to
the County College of Morris. Her case manager arranged a part-time, on-campus
job for her. She received childcare and Medicaid that allowed her to complete
her Associate's Degree without interruption. She attended William Paterson
College as a part-time student while participating in the Alternative Work
Experience Program. The Alternative Work Experience Program is a combination
of work experience and training
activities. In 2000, after extensive counseling with her case manager, she
decided that she would work full-time and attend college at night. She had
lost her driver's license so her case manager accessed Welfare-to-Work funds
to provide transportation to Group Job Search and other support
services.
- In July 2001, with her case manager's assistance, her driver's license was
reinstated and she started working full-time. Her children are receiving
post-TANF childcare and Medicaid
and she credits these services with allowing her to concentrate on work. She
is earning $25,000 per year and is rightfully proud of her many
accomplishments.
- 3. A 21-year-old mother of one had been displaced from her home due to
domestic violence and was living with her grandmother. Her TANF case manager accessed
Welfare-to-Work funds for her to attend training as a computer programmer at
Chubb Institute. TANF childcare
and Medicaid allowed her to successfully complete her training . Through the Group Job
Search Program, she obtained employment as a Graphics Design Technician at
$19,000 per year. She continues to receive post TANF childcare assistance. Now, she is
a candidate for promotion to a higher paying position and thanks her case
manager and the TANF program for
``getting my life on the right track, in a very short time.''
- 4. A young mother in 2001 could not work because of childcare problems and
expenses. She found employment through the Job Search Program and also
attended training to become a
home health aid while continuing to work. She was very focused, diligent and
worked very hard to upgrade her earning ability and through the Work First
Program, her childcare expenses were supplemented and she was helped
financially with purchasing an automobile. Today, she is off welfare, working
and is doing well.
- 5. A husband, his wife and two daughters entered this country as political
refugees from Vietnam. He was incarcerated during the Vietnam War and as a
result was diagnosed with malnutrition. Due to his frail health, he found it
difficult to find steady employment. He was placed in a Community Work
Experience Program (CWEP) at a local Board of Social Services. He was so
successful in that position that the Board hired him for a permanent position
and he has remained gainfully employed, providing for his family, for more
than a year.
- Even with these notable successes, much remains to be done to improve the
welfare system for those in need and to help welfare recipients on the path to
independence. While more than three million welfare recipients have been
removed from a system that promoted an indefinite dependency and have been
placed into jobs, there remains two million people who have yet to follow in
the footsteps of these success stories and find the personal independence that
comes with the dignity of a job.
- With the President's leadership and a bipartisan effort in Congress, our
next round of reforms will help ensure $22 billion annually is available for
welfare programs that prepare recipients for work and help with childcare. We
will also continue to ensure that the mission of our ``Welfare to Work''
reforms is to strengthen families. It is vital that Federal policy maintains
support for low-income working families by expanding childcare and health
insurance for children. Additionally, we will continue to make sure the Earned
Income Tax Credit provides income supplements of up to $4,000 per year to
single mothers leaving welfare to work.