FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: (202) 225-1025
June 22, 1999
No. HR-8
Congresswoman Nancy L. Johnson (R-CT), Chairman, Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on reducing nonmarital births. The hearing will take place on Tuesday, June 29, 1999, in room B-318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include officials from Congressional agencies, program administrators, researchers, and advocates. However, 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:
For several generations, both the number and percentage of American children born outside marriage has been increasing. Simultaneously, social science evidence has been accumulating to demonstrate that nonmarital births are bad for the children involved, their parents, and society. Among other findings, children born outside marriage are more likely to be poor, perform poorly in school, drop out of school, have criminal records, and have nonmarital births themselves. Similarly, mothers giving birth outside marriage are more likely to be poor, go on welfare, become dependent on welfare, and be unemployed. However, historical trends also suggest that the Nation is making some progress in its fight to stanch the increase in babies born outside marriage.
The 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193) contained numerous provisions designed to reduce nonmarital births. These included funds for abstinence education programs, strong paternity establishment requirements, a requirement that teen mothers live at home or with a responsible adult, a requirement that teen mothers stay in school, and a cash bonus for States that decrease their nonmarital birth rate while decreasing their abortion rate.
In announcing the hearing, Chairman Johnson stated: "Along with the related problem of declining marriage rates among low-income Americans, the increase in nonmarital births is the nation's leading social problem. We have found that the nation's shocking level of births outside marriage is correlated with almost all our other social ills. Now, for the first time in several generations, we seem to actually be making progress in reducing the rate of teen births outside marriage and at least stopping the increase in the ratio of all American births that occur outside marriage. We are holding this hearing to find out whether any of the policies we enacted in 1996 are having an impact on the level of nonmarital births and to search for additional steps we can take to encourage young people to defer childbearing until marriage."
FOCUS OF THE HEARING:
The hearing will focus on four issues. First, historical trends in both the illegitimacy ratio and the rate of nonmarital births will be reviewed. Second, the numerous policies included in the 1996 welfare reform law to reduce nonmarital births will be summarized and their impact on historical trends in nonmarital births assessed. Further, the hearing will assess the actions being taken by State and local agencies to implement the Federal policies on nonmarital births as well as additional policies developed at the State and local level. Third, the hearing will review whether other societal trends, such as the increased fear of sexually transmitted diseases and the increased use of long-term contraceptives, have had an impact on nonmarital birth rates. Fourth, the hearing will examine new policies that should be considered to ensure that the Nation continues to make progress in reducing the number of children born outside marriage.
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, Tuesday, July 13, 1999, 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, by close of business the day before the hearing.
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.