Cut Teen Pregnancies - Win a Grant >Page 1, 2, 3
Results of government efforts to cut out-of-wedlock births
In an April 29, 1999 White House press release, Vice President Gore announced a new
HHS report showing that
teen birth rates had declined nationwide by 16 percent from 1991 to 1997, and
by four percent since 1996.
The Vice President praised this decrease which has occurred in every state in the country and among African-Americans, Hispanics, and whites as evidence that efforts to encourage young people to make responsible choices are having an effect. The report also showed that out-of-wedlock births continue to decline across the nation.
"We have made real progress -- and must do more -- to encourage more young people to delay parenthood until they are truly ready to live up to its important responsibilities," said Vice President Gore. "This good news shows that when Americans come together in support of our basic values we can send a clear message that our children should not be having children."
The HHS report also found out-of-wedlock births to be declining at record numbers -- down by six percent from a peak in 1994 and down another two percent since 1996.
By Aug. 8, 2000, data released by HHS showed births per 1,000 women ages 15-19 reaching its lowest rate in the last 60 years -- down 20 percent from an all-time high in 1991.
| Online Discussion: Welfare Reform or Just More Spending? |
But, have the welfare rolls been reduced?
Has the apparent reduction in out-of-wedlock births translated into welfare
reform?
On Aug. 22, 2000, the White House released a Fact Sheet announcing results of the welfare reform programs provided for in the The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Highlights of the President's announcement included:
- Welfare rolls are just half of what they were four years ago and, of those remaining on welfare, nearly five times as many are working than when President Clinton took office.
- For the third year in a row, all states subject to the welfare reform law’s overall work requirements, met them.
- New welfare caseload numbers show the percentage of Americans on welfare has fallen from 5.5 percent in 1993 to 2.3 percent in 1999 and is now at its lowest level since 1965.
Of course, the welfare reform successes claimed by the Clinton Administration have not come with a tremendous expenditure of funds. The cost of grants and awards from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program alone will reach $57 billion by the end of 2001.
Yet, the costs of these welfare reform programs are intended to be "limited-term" expenditures. That is, once they have had their desired effect, they just go away, while their hoped-for results continue to reward taxpayers for decades to come. At least, that's how it's supposed to work.
While funding for the programs created by the 1996 welfare reform act is set to end by 2002, Congress can vote to continue any or all of the programs, while adjusting and allocating future expenditures for them.
Reference Links
Health and Human Resources Agency Press Release of 9/13/00
HHS awards $100 million bonuses to states achieving largest reductions in out-of-wedlock births.
Entry in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) listing information on the grants dedicated to helping needy families and reducing out-of-wedlock births and teen pregnancies. Also provides for the bonus awards described in the above article.
CFDA description of another government assistance program to, "promote abstinence from sexual activity, with a focus on groups that are most likely to bear children out of wedlock."
The sweeping 1996 law designed to reform the American welfare system and reduce the cost of public assistance to taxpayers.
Welfare Reform: Family Cap Laws Reviewed
Welfare reform may reduce immediate costs, but does it increase poverty, abortion, crime? From Law Guide Paul S. Reed.
Welfare Reform information by topic and department. Users can link from this page to background information or websites on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant, Child Care Bureau, Child Support, Transitions to Work, Immigration, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Family Violence, and Social Security. From Mental Health Guide Leonard Holmes, Ph.D.
Many of those remaining on public assistance rolls today will require substance abuse and mental health treatment services. From Alcoholism Support Guide Buddy T.
The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act - better known as the welfare reform law, authorized states to impose mandatory drug testing on welfare recipients. So far, only one state is actively trying to do so: my home state of Michigan. From Women's Issues Guide Karen J. Gould.
Where to find help with: Small Business Needs, Healthcare, Work or Career, Home Improvements, Hunger and Child Care or Family Needs. In most cases, you do not need a grant to get assistance from a government program. From your About Guide.
Resources for finding and getting government grants. But, beware -- a government grant is no Christmas present. The government is not giving away "free" grant money. Find out about the federal grant process. From your About Guide.
Resources for getting the help you need from the welfare and public assistance programs of the U.S. Government. From your About Guide.
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