FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: (202) 225-1025
July 23, 1998
No. HR-17
Congressman E. Clay Shaw, Jr., (R-FL), Chairman, Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on fatherhood and welfare reform. The hearing will take place on Thursday, July 30, 1998, in room B-318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 11:00 a.m.
In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be taken from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include fathers whose children are on welfare, individuals who have designed and conducted programs for low-income fathers, advocates for fathers, and researchers. Any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.
BACKGROUND:
The purpose of this hearing is to examine the social, economic, and legal difficulties faced by unmarried fathers of children on welfare. Numerous studies suggest that these fathers tend to have lower levels of education and income as well as elevated rates of unemployment and incarceration as compared with other fathers. These problems make it difficult for them to form two-parent families and to play a positive role in the rearing of their children. Studies also show that the consequence of father absence is that children, especially boys, are likely to develop the same problems that afflict their fathers, thus creating an intergenerational cycle of children being reared in female-headed families.
On March 3, 1998, Chairman Shaw, along with several other Members of the Subcommittee, introduced H.R. 3314, the "Fathers Count Act of 1998." The purpose of H.R. 3314 is to prevent this unfortunate cycle of children being reared in fatherless families by supporting projects that help fathers meet their responsibilities as marital husbands, parents, and providers. The bill is aimed at promoting marriage among parents, helping poor and low-income fathers establish positive relationships with their children and the children's mothers, promoting responsible parenting, and increasing family income. The legislation aims to accomplish these goals by providing a block grant to States to select and fund community-based projects conducted primarily by non-profit and faith-based organizations.
In announcing the hearing, Chairman Shaw stated: "These young men face very difficult problems, and I want the American people and Members of the Subcommittee to understand how these problems interfere with their ability to become good husbands and good fathers. If we hope to reverse the negative cycle of fatherless families, we must begin by understanding the barriers faced by these fathers and by supporting community-based and faith-based programs that can help them overcome these barriers. Promoting marriage and two-parent families, and aggressively helping these men become responsible parents, is the next step in welfare reform."
FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
The hearing will focus on two primary issues. First, based on testimony from young fathers whose children are on welfare, the Subcommittee hopes to learn first-hand what barriers these fathers face in attempting to become better parents, to form two-parent families, and to secure good jobs. Second, the Subcommittee will hear about programs designed to help fathers overcome these barriers.
DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:
Any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should submit six (6) single-spaced copies of their statement, along with an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette in WordPerfect 5.1 format, with their name, address, and hearing date noted on a label, by the close of business, Thursday, August 13, 1998, to A.L. Singleton, Chief of Staff, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of Representatives, 1102 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20515. If those filing written statements wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing, they may deliver 200 additional copies for this purpose to the Subcommittee on Human Resources office, room B-317 Rayburn House Office Building, at least one hour before the hearing begins.
FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:
Each statement presented for printing to the Committee by a witness, any written statement or exhibit submitted for the printed record or any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any statement or exhibit not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
1. All statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted on an IBM compatible 3.5-inch diskette WordPerfect 5.1 format, typed in single space and may not exceed a total of 10 pages including attachments. Witnesses are advised that the Committee will rely on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.
2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased. All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.
3. A witness appearing at a public hearing, or submitting a statement for the record of a public hearing, or submitting written comments in response to a published request for comments by the Committee, must include on his statement or submission a list of all clients, persons, or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.
4. A supplemental sheet must accompany each statement listing the name, company, address, telephone and fax numbers where the witness or the designated representative may be reached. This supplemental sheet will not be included in the printed record.
The above restrictions and limitations apply only to material being submitted for printing. Statements and exhibits or supplementary material submitted solely for distribution to the Members, the press, and the public during the course of a public hearing may be submitted in other forms.
The
Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with
disabilities. If you are in need of special accommodations, please
call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event
(four business days notice is requested). Questions with regard to
special accommodation needs in general (including availability of
Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the
Committee as noted above.