Date: 1995-02-02
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise again tonight to discuss some of the effects of the Personal Responsibility Act on the nutrition programs. specifically the senior citizens nutrition programs. Yesterday. during a hearing on the Personal Responsibility Act in the Committee on Economic and Edurcational Opportunities. of which I am a member. there were six witnesses. five representing local community groups. and all were against title V of the bill which deals with all our Federal nutrition programs. Title V repeals every Federal nutrition program and then blockgrants the funds after severe cuts. Under this repeal of our nutrition programs. the State of Texas would lose over $1 billion in 1996 alone. One member of the committee questioned the constitutional basis for providing nutrition and actually said it is not a Federal responsibility. and he quoted the Constitution.. Well. we all may need to reread our Constitution because where I see it in the Preamble. it says to provide for the common defense and promote the general welfare. and that is included in nutrition. If the Republicans are holding the defense budget sacred and even increasing it because it is protected under the Constitution. at the very minimum nutrition programs should also be protected from these draconian budget cuts. After November 8 of last year. many people called for Congress to become resultoriented. The PRA. or the Personal Responsibility Act. will result in 800 seniors going hungry every day in the city of Houston. I hope and I pray that the PRA. the Personal Responsibility Act. was not -designed to deny senior citizens. their Meals on Wheels but that will surely be the result. Let me repeat. If the PRA is passed in its current form. there will be over 800 hungry seniors in or around the district that I represent in Houston. TX. Not only will seniors go hungry. but on page 74 of the PRA. it requires seniors under the age of 63 and not disabled to work for their food. The Older Americans Act allows any senior over 60 years of age and their spouse. regardless of age. to receive one meal a day. Would this Personal Responsibility Act repeal that law? I believe so. What we will see. and I will show this sign. is that we will have seniors saying I will work for food. and that sign will be traded in every day with an affidavit from that senior to the State swearing that they will work at least 32 hours a week for that one hot meal. This is ludicrous. I would hope that the committees. and I -serve on one of the committees. will have better judgment than to pass this bill. particularly title V. Stalin may have done this to the Soviet seniors. but not us. This would mean at least 35 people would be barred from a hot meal at the Magnolia MultiPurpose Center in Houston. Texas. And simply on the work requirement alone. So between 60 and 63. they have 35 people who today enjoy a hot meal that would have to either carry this sign or turn it in with an affidavit saying they will work. Should there be budget responsibilities? Of course. yes. Should there be administrative reduction? Yes. Should there be lonely. hungry seniors in the breadbasket of the world? No. We must take. a look at this title V in the Personal Responsibility Act contained in this Contract With America to see that it is a contract on our seniors to remove the nutrition programs.