It's working in Florida and it's working throughout the nation. The facts are indisputable. Together, we have effectively changed the debate from one of entitlements to one of personal responsibility - not only from the client, but from every state, every community, every individual. As an early implementation state, the State of Florida ventured into uncharted waters. Now, all programs, all activities, all information are available at a single site.
Every door is an entryway to opportunity.
As the largest provider of welfare and workforce services in Florida, Lockheed Martin IMS has helped more than 33,000 people find jobs. The private sector has proven an invaluable resource in implementing welfare reform. Working in true partnership with local organizations, the private sector has acted as a broker of community resources, while leveraging needed human, financial and technological resources to re-engineer a more effective service delivery model. Competitive procurements have lead to greater accountability and a demand for innovations, in a system once focused on helping people on to welfare, rather than helping them break the cycle of poverty. It is a fitting tribute to Executive Director Ken Montgomery and the Palm Beach Workforce Development Coalition, in which Lockheed Martin IMS is a provider, that the Committee has chosen Palm Beach to hold this important hearing today.