House Continues Welfare Reform Success

Rep. Joe Wilson, R-SC, today made the following remarks regarding the passage of H.R. 4737, The Personal Responsibility, Work, and Family Promotion Act. Yesterday, H.R. 4737 passed the House by a vote of 229 to 197."Once again, Republicans have passed a welfare reform bill that will continue leading people from welfare dependency to self-sufficiency through jobs," said Rep. Wilson. "Since the 1996 reforms, the welfare caseloads have been cut in half and millions of children no longer live in poverty. With this new legislation, we are committing to leading millions more towards independence. Welfare should never be a trap, it should be a helping hand to get you back on your feet."H.R. 4737 builds on the success of the 1996 welfare reform law, which helped nine million people leave the welfare rolls and paved the way for the lowest child poverty rate since 1979. It asks welfare recipients to engage in work activities for 40 hours a week (up from the current 30-hour requirement) and requires states to move 70 percent of their caseloads into work activities by 2007.The bill also adds $2 billion over five years to the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program. It also incorporates key elements of President Bush's Good Start, Grow Smart plan to improve early childhood education, encouraging states to address the cognitive needs of young children so they are prepared to enter school."People will never be able to achieve success and self-fulfillment by staying on welfare, that only comes through honest work. This bill, built on the blueprint from President Bush, will lead more people to jobs, strengthen families, and protect children." said Rep. Wilson.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. Rep. Wilson is also a member of the H.O.P.E. (Helping Others Pursue Employment) Welfare Reform task force.###