Date: 2002-05-16
Speaker: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker since the historic overhaul of this countrys welfare system in 1996. we have witnessed dramatic changes in how this nation treats our poor children and families. While welfare rolls have dropped by more -than 50 percent. many families have lost Food stamp benefits and Medicaid despite continued eligibility. In addition. numerous lowincome families remain below the poverty line despite employment. One of the most important issues Congress must address when considering reauthorization of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act is how race and ethnicity factor in why some welfare recipients have failed to obtain gainful and lasting employment. Research has shown that minorities face significantly more discrimination in the services they receive from welfare agencies as well as in the treatment they receive on the job. Numerous studies have documented cases of racial disparities in Welfare Reform. and I believe they are worth mentioning. -A recent Chicago Urban League study found that while more than 50 percent of white recipients were referred to education programs. less than 20 percent of African Americans were referred to the same programs. A statewide .study of welfare recipients in Virginia by Professor Susan Gooden of Virginia Tech found that although African American program participants were. on average. better educated than whites. zero African Americans were directed to education programs to fulfill their requirements. At the same time. 41 percent of whites were steered to education programs. The study also found that African Americans were also less likely to receive discretionary support such as transportation assistance. less likely to be placed in jobs by the state employment agency. and more likely to be subjected to drug and background tests. than white recipients. A Gooden Employer study (1999) found that whites were more likely to have longer interviews than blacks (25 min v. 11 min). less likely to have a negative relationship with their supervisor (29 percent v. 64 percent). and less likely to undergo preemployment testing (24 percent v. 45 percent). Cruel and Usual. an Applied Research Center survey of more than 1.500 welfare recipients in 13 states. found that discriminatory treatment on the basis of gender. race. language. and national origin was a common experience. Fortyeight percent of African American women and 56 percent of Native American women who received job training were sent to demeaning "Dress for Success" classes. compared. with. only 24 percent of white women. At the same time that people of color are being marginalized by our welfare system. (according to an Applied Research Center study) African Americans and other minorities are disproportionately affected by our current recession: After September 11. the increase in unemployment rates for African Americans and Latinos was more than double that for whites. Unemployment among African Americans soared to 11.2 percent in April of this year and rose to 7.9 percent for Hispanics. African Americans has reached its highest point in 8 years. while Latino unemployment is its highest in 5. In New York City. where unemployment has skyrocketed since the events of September 11. the New York Times reported in February that African American workers accounted for only 27 percent of those collecting unempoy-" ment insurance benefits. even though they account for about 37 percent of the jobless. For Latinos. the Pew Hispanic Center reports that out of 1.26 million unemployed Latinos in December 2001. only 40 percent are likely to be receiving unemployment benefits. leaving some 756.000 unable to access the benefits to support their families. Let me be clear: efforts to improve our economy are not reaching people of color. African Americans are losing their jobs at nearly twice the national average. Latino unemployment hovers near 5 year high. These numbers are an outrage and are unacceptable. But. they dont even tell the whole story. While these workers are losing their jobs and their families are suffering. the Bush Administration is proposing cutbacks in job training programs and reductions in education funding that would help put people in a better position to earn a living wage. Here we are poised to reauthorize welfare reform with Members on both sides of the aisle calling for an increase in the number of hours recipients must work to stay eligible for transitional assistance. I hope that these new unemployment numbers indicating that more Americans are getting laid off will force Members to rethink their positions. How can we look these people in the eye and tell them to work longer hours when there arent even jobs available to them? In 1996. we handed the administration of the welfare programs over to states. And who know better than the states that have been administering the TANF programs what -will and what wont work? The National Governors Association (NGA) is very concerned about how the Republican plan takes away the states flexibility in admin-� istering TANF programs. In April of this year the National Governors Association (NGA) and the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) conducted a joint survey of Governors and state TANF administrators to assess the impact proposed changes to the work requirements would have on current state welfare reform initiatives. This study found that: "As states work with families on a more individualized basis. many states are finding that a combination of activities on a limited basis. such as work. job training. education. and substance abuse treatment. leads to the greatest success for some individuals. Govemors believe the federal government should recognize the success of these tailored approaches to addressing an individuals needs by providing states greater discretion in defining appropriate work activities." Also in the NGA report. "States expressed concems over the impact of level funding of the TANF block grant. citing inflation having reduced the purchasing power of the block grant. making it unlikely that the block grant will keep pace with the rising costs of services. such as cage management. employment and training. transportation and child care." The majority of states (33) responding cited concems about meeting the proposed work requirements in rural areas where the economy is often lagging and employment opportunities are limited. The State of Illinois responded. "A 70 percent participation rate with a 40 hour a week requirement will probably require two things. First. creation of a number of make work activities or greater use of current ones. whether or not warranted. just to fill the requirement. Second. a near total abandonment of allowing any client that is able to work at all to participate in such things as GED programs or postsecondary education." Once we force States to send all these people to work in 40hour workweek jobs that dont exist. what are we going to do with their children? Childcare is expensive! The states recognize this. In the NGA report. States were asked to estimate the annual increase in child care costs associated with the proposal to require 70 percent participation in activities totaling 40hours per week. Of the 32 states responding to the question. 30 states indicated thai the costs would increase and two states indicated that there would be no additional costs associated with the proposal. But the Republican plan doesnt even begin to meet this enormous expenseThe CBO estimates the increased mandatory work hours imposed on states by the Republican plan will increase child.care cost an additional $3.8 billionalmost 4 times as much as the Republican plan provides! In fact. my state of Texas alone would have an estimate of over 36.000 children on childcare waiting list. For these reasons. I have introduced legislation that addresses racial inequalities and mistreatment of minorities in welfare program. While we are providing states the flexibility and funding they need to empower welfare recipients and address important issues like access to child care. education. and job training. The key provisions of this legislation include ensuring equal access by expanding education and training opportunities. strengthening fair treatment and antidiscrimination protections and encouraging racial equality. I believe we should all agree that welfare reform measures should not punish racial and ethnic minorities attempting to better themselves. Every American must be provided with the opportunity and the obligation to be a productive member of society. As we continue to debate welfare authorization. we must make certain that racial and ethnic discrimination are not vehicles used to hinder access to the road from poverty. I urge my colleagues to vote "no" on the Republican bill.