Date: 1982-05-26
Speaker: ROBERT C. BYRD (democrat)
Chamber: S

Mr. President. Senators DIXoN and SPECTER have brought an important matter before the Senate today in the form of their amendment to the supplemental I commen appropriations bill adding $76.8 mil- their amen lion for the work incentive program. tion. The work incentive. or WIN program The PRE provides funding to States to pay some seeks recogi of the costs of training. Job counseling. The Sena and job search assistance for adult Mr. DIXC members of families that receive aid to the yeas am families with dependent children. or The PR AFDC. This program has been notably there a suf successful in moving welfare mothers sufficient se and fathers into regular. longterm. The yeas privatesector employment. where The PR. they can become selfsufficient. con- there furth tributing members to our society. tion Is on a This is far better. Mr. President. of the Sena than their remaining on welfare. It On this i also is better for them. and less expen- have been sive for taxpayers. than putting them call the roll. into subsidized employment. such as The legisl "workfare" or public service employ- Mr. STEV ment. Senator fro This program works because it gives WR). th d the kind of concentrated attention and (Mr. ToWER assistance these people need for im- I further proving their abilities to find. obtain. and voting. ahd hold jobs. As a result. every dollar spent on WIN has produced a doubly Mr. CR beneficial result: it reduces welfare the Senat payments by a ratio of almost two dol- CANNON). tl lars saved for each WIN dollar spent. Mr. ME~cH and it moves welfare recipients into Mamachuse private sector jobs where they become essarily abs wage earners and taxpayers. I further In my own State of West Virginia. and voting. the benefit ratio is even more impres- tana (Mr. M sive than the national figures. West The PR Virginia welfare officials estimate that there any ot $2.96 in welfare payments is saved for ber desiring each WIN dollar expended. and that The resul each WIN dollar yields nonsubsidized. nays 48. as taxpaying. privatesector wages of Ro $8.30. Now. however. because of the reductions in funding for the WIN program Bentsen resulting from broad reductions I Biden funding for the 1982 continuing reso- Brey lution. the effectiveness of this pro- Bupers gram is being threatened. State after Burdick State is laying off WIN program work- Byrd. Robert C. Chafee ers and turning away AFDC recipients. Chi from the WIN program. Cohen The amendment before this body Cranston DAmato today will help to halt these harmful DeConcini effects if it is passed. It provides $76.8 Dodd million in additional funding for the Durenberger WIN program. resulting in total funding of $321 million for the current Abdnor fiscal year. This is the amount re- Andrews quested by President Reagan in Sep- Armstrong tember. Although it still is far less Ba than the $365 million provided for the Brady program in fiscal year 1981. the $321 Byrd. million should allow the most impor- Harry F. Jr. tant WIN program efforts to continue. Danforth and will prevent damaging further re- Denton ductions in the program. Do Mr. President. it may be more impor- Donenici tant during recessionary periods than East at any other time to assist those who GoD have become dependent on public aid Goldwater to return to selfsufficiency. It is undoubtedly in the best interests of Cannon those who otherwise would be depend- HayakaWa ent. Surely it also is in. the best inter- So Mr. DL ests of taxpayers. 1007) was re d the Senators for offering Iment. and I urge its adop-