| Bush: More Work for Welfare | |
Update: The bill discussed in this article was passed 299-197 by the House of Representatives on May 16, 2002. The bill must now be considered by the Senate.
President Bush has proposed to increase the minimum work requirements for families receiving federal assistance as part of his proposed reauthorization of the 1996 welfare reform law.
As the first major upgrade to the landmark Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), the president's proposed welfare reform plan would:
- Increase the number of hours per week welfare recipients would be required to work from 30 to 40
- Require 70 percent of welfare recipients to hold jobs by 2007, up from 50 percent under the existing law
- Hold spending for welfare assistance grants at $16.5 billion in fiscal year 2003
- Continue to ban legal immigrants from receiving welfare but would make them eligible for the food stamp program
Background: The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 dramatically changed the U.S. welfare system by requiring work in exchange for assistance over a limited period of time. The old Aid for Dependent Children (AFDC) program was replaced by the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Under TANF, states must assess welfare recipients' skills and in most cases, recipients are required to have jobs after two years on assistance. In addition, families getting assistance for five cumulative years (or less at the state's option) are declared ineligible for further cash assistance.
President Bush praised the original welfare reform act of 1996 for having turned welfare into a system that "honors work, by requiring work, and helps people find jobs."
Other Elements of President Bush's Welfare Reform Agenda:
In a
speech announcing his proposal, President Bush stated "We must never be
content with islands of despair in the midst of a nation of promise," and
went on to outline an agenda for welfare reform he believes will strengthen
families and help more welfare recipients move toward financial
independence.
- The president proposes to continue historically high levels of support for childcare by funding of $4.8 billion annually for the Child Care and Development Block Grant.
- Under current law, government keeps a substantial portion of the money collected to pay past-due child support in cases of families that have received welfare. The President’s proposal provides financial incentives for the states to give as much of this money as possible to mothers and children, especially mothers who have left welfare.
- The president's plan calls for funding up to $300 million for programs that encourage healthy, stable marriages, such as pre-marital education and counseling.
"Statistics tell us that children from two parent families are less likely to end up in poverty, drop out of school, become addicted to drugs, have a child out of wedlock, suffer abuse or become a violent criminal and end up in prison. Building and preserving families are not always possible, I recognize that. But they should always be our goal." said the president.
Helping Welfare Recipients Achieve Independence
- Under current law, at least 50% of welfare families are required to participate in work and other activities designed to help them
"Right now, there are hundreds -- hundreds -- of federal government programs to help low-income Americans achieve better lives. Unfortunately, recipients often find the different rules very confusing. Conflicting regulations are keeping people from getting the help they need when they need it," stated President Bush.
Urging All Americans to Help Fight Poverty
Issuing a call for "soldiers in the armies of compassion,"
President Bush urged all Americans to look for ways to fight poverty in their
local communities. Bush suggested that people visit the USAFreedomCorps.gov
Web site to find out how to "put your good heart to
work, to make America a hopeful and strong and decent country for all of us."
