Statement of the Hon. Barbara Lee, a Representative in Congress from the State of California

Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Human Resources
of the House Committee on Ways and Means

Hearing on Implementation of Welfare Reform Work Requirements and Time Limits

April 11, 2002

Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Cardin, and subcommittee members, thank you for this opportunity to address the subcommittee on the issue of welfare reform reauthorization proposals.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, I have personal experience with this issue. If we allow women access to education and child care, they can do anything they set their minds to – even be elected to the United States Congress.

I want to focus on three important issues surrounding welfare reform: access to education and child care, and comprehensive sex education.

Education is the key to success in this country.  Just last year, a huge bipartisan majority worked together to pass the Leave No Child Behind law.  I want to leave no welfare recipient behind.  We must allow them to receive their GED, attend a technical school, or enroll in a community college or four-year college or university. 

We all know that people with higher education have higher incomes.   Full-time workers with master's degrees earn over $4,500/month on average and those with a bachelor's degree earn over $3,700/month.  However, high school graduates bring home comparably less – only about $2,200/month.  Those without a diploma earn on average a paltry $1,700/month. 

When you factor in paying for rent (especially in high-cost areas such as the Bay Area), transportation, groceries, and child care, that $1700/month quickly becomes $0.

However, the Bush/Herger welfare reform plan makes it significantly harder for a parent transitioning off of welfare to get that needed education to get a good-paying job, which not only lifts their family out of poverty but also contributes to the economy. 

Instead of allowing parents to finish high school, the Bush/Herger plan actually eliminates the current law’s ability to count high school attendance for dropouts over age 20.

Instead of making it easier for parents to prepare themselves for better jobs, the Bush/Herger plan eliminates the current law’s ability to count up to a year of full-time education or training.

This goes in the wrong direction.  We continue to pass legislation in Congress to make it easier for parents to save for college and have tax credits to use for college expenses.  But then we single out poor mothers by taking away the few means they have to attend college or finish high school.   Congress must continue and expand the credits available for education in any welfare reauthorization legislation.

Education should be counted as work.  We should not kick someone off welfare if they are in college.

Child care is absolutely essential to any successful welfare reform.  The extremely high cost of care and the difficulty parents have in finding care are two of the most pressing issues and challenges facing parents transitioning off of welfare to work.  We cannot expect a mother to lose all of her benefits and take a job for $5.15 if her child has nowhere to go that is safe and affordable. 

Again, low-income parents are hardest hit.  Poor families spend over 35% of their income on child care while non-poor families only spend about 10%, according to CRS. 

And this is assuming that care is available.  Many low-income parents have to work off-hours, or far from home, and cannot even access this care, let alone afford it.

We must increase discretionary funds for the Child Care and Development Fund and entitlement funding so that we may adjust for inflation and enact necessary changes to serve more families in need and to ensure quality child care.  We must maintain the current programs’ flexibility and ensure that all child care accounts are fully funded. 

Finally, I want to touch on the issue of the abstinence-only program that was established under the 1996 Act.  This misguided program prohibits the teaching of comprehensive sex education if states take the funds.  My state of California, in fact, is the only state to not take these funds, in part because of our mandate of teaching comprehensive AIDS education.  We cannot prevent unwanted teen pregnancies, HIV/AIDS, and other STIs unless our schools are allowed to talk about contraception.

No studies have shown abstinence-only programs to be successful.  I ask that this committee consider President Bush’s call to de-fund unproven programs.  The abstinence-only program clearly fails the Bush criteria to show proven results.  I have introduced legislation, H.R. 3469, the Family Life Education Act, which would provide $100 million to teach comprehensive sex education.  Reducing the number of unwanted teen pregnancies will surely reduce the number of mothers who turn to the welfare rolls.

In short, Congress needs to stop punishing women and children solely because they are poor.  Everyone deserves the same access to the American dream – an education, a good job, enough to eat,  and a home.  Welfare reform should have as a goal access to education leading to good paying jobs and the reduction of poverty.

Thank you.