Welfare Reform Reauthorization May Limit Educational Opportunities
6/24/02 • Vol. 51, No. 12Reauthorization of welfare reform legislation is likely to lead to further constraints on the ability of recipients to pursue postsecondary education.
The House of Representatives has already passed the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Act, H.R. 4737, which closely parallels the Bush administration's proposal for welfare reform. This bill would go beyond current law to impose even stricter work requirements on welfare recipients, making it more difficult to participate in postsecondary and vocational education.
Multiple welfare reform bills are currently circulating in the Senate, with the Senate Finance Committee expected to mark up a reauthorization measure as early as next week.
The higher education community has been working during the reauthorization process to expand the education component of the program. In several letters sent to Members of Congress, American Council on Education President David Ward has made the following recommendations on behalf of the higher education community:Last week, Ward and the leaders of the four other national presidential associations urged campus leaders to contact their senators and voice support for provisions that expand educational opportunity for TANF recipients.
- Allow at least 24 months of education and/or training to be counted as an approved work activity;
- Include all higher education programs, not just vocational training as at present, in the list of education activities that can count towards a recipient's work requirement;
- Eliminate the cap on the percentage of a state's welfare recipients who are able to participate in educational activities; and
- Do not count time spent on education and training against lifetime or consecutive benefit time limits.
"We believe there is an opportunity to shape the Senate bill to include expanded educational opportunities but college and university leaders in local communities need to be heard on the importance of this issue," Ward wrote.
While the 1996 TANF reauthorization reduced state welfare roles, it has also been criticized for leading to increased levels of poverty nationally and for doing little to help foster economic independence among recipients. The current statutes include several features that significantly limit the educational opportunities of welfare recipients.
The ACE letter is available online at http://www.acenet.edu/washington/letters/2002/06june/presidents.tanf.cfm.
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Last Modified: June 21, 2002
