Making Welfare Reform Work

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-SC, will appear at the Lexington County and Richland County Department of Social Services offices to recognize the work of the individual employees. In 1995, while a state senator, Rep. Wilson chaired the committee that developed Welfare Reform legislation in South Carolina as well as chairing the conference committee, which resulted in similar reforms that would be adopted nationally a year later. Recently, Rep. Wilson was named by U.S. House leadership to the Welfare Action Team, a task force in charge of Welfare Reform reauthorization."Welfare Reform has been the most successful piece of legislation in decades, and it could have never have been such a success without the hard work and dedication of the men and women in our Social Services offices," said Rep. Wilson. "Because of their efforts, the unemployed can have hope for a better future."An editorial in the Carolina Morning News on Monday, March 4th, entitled "Welfare Reform II" said, "The 1996 welfare reform bill, passed by a Republican Congress and signed into law by President Clinton, stands as one of the great social policy successes of the last 50 years. It was to the cycle of dependency on the dole what the collapse of the Berlin Wall was to communism, both literally and symbolically."Rep. Wilson will appear at the following offices:· Lexington County DSS – Wednesday, April 3; 2:00-3:00 PMLocation: 541 Gibson Rd.· Richland County DSS – Thursday, April 4; 9:30-11:00 PMLocation: 3220 Two Notch Rd.###