ADVISORY
FROM THE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS

SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES

Herger Announces Hearing on
Teen Pregnancy Prevention

Congressman Wally Herger (R-CA), Chairman, Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on national progress in reducing teen pregnancy and related issues as the Subcommittee prepares for reauthorization next year of key features of the 1996 welfare reform law. The hearing will take place on Thursday, November 15, 2001, in room B-318 Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include representatives of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, program administrators, researchers, and other experts in pregnancy prevention strategies. 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:

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193), commonly referred to as the 1996 welfare reform law, made dramatic changes in the Federal-State welfare system designed to aid low-income American families. The law repealed the former Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, and with it the individual entitlement to cash welfare benefits. In its place, the 1996 legislation created a new Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant that provides fixed funding to States to operate programs designed to achieve several purposes: (1) provide assistance to needy families, (2) end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage, (3) prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and (4) encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families.

In addition to a basic program orientation toward preventing teen and other out-of-wedlock pregnancies as a key method of combating long-term welfare dependence, the law includes several specific provisions designed to address this issue, including: (1) the provision of $250 million in abstinence education funding, (2) permission for States to limit cash welfare for unmarried teen parents, and (3) the requirement that teens be in school and living at home or with an adult in order to receive assistance. States also are authorized to use block grant funds to provide, or assist in locating, adult-supervised living arrangements, such as second-chance homes, for teen mothers.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Herger stated: "Teen pregnancy cuts short the teen parents' opportunities to build a promising future, and puts their child at a fundamental disadvantage in so many ways. It means years of dependence for many struggling young families, which is a cycle that has repeated itself too often in recent generations. It is easy to see why preventing and reducing the incidence of teen pregnancy is absolutely critical to progress on welfare reform. I look forward to hearing about the effects of the welfare law's provisions and what lessons we have learned that can help us as we move ahead next year."

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

This hearing will focus on teen pregnancy prevention efforts since enactment of the welfare reform law in 1996, and recommendations for further improvements to prevent and reduce the incidence of teen pregnancy during the reauthorization of the TANF program in 2002.

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Please Note: Due to the change in House mail policy, any person or organization wishing to submit a written statement for the printed record of the hearing should send it electronically to "hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov", along with a fax copy to 202/225-2610, by the close of business, Thursday, November 29, 2001. Those filing written statements who wish to have their statements distributed to the press and interested public at the hearing should deliver 200 copies to the Subcommittee on Human Resources in room B-317 Rayburn House Office Building, in an open and searchable package 48 hours before the hearing. The U.S. Capitol Police will refuse sealed-packaged deliveries to all House Office buildings.

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. Due to the change in House mail policy, all statements and any accompanying exhibits for printing must be submitted electronically to "hearingclerks.waysandmeans@mail.house.gov", along with a fax copy to (202) 225-2610, in WordPerfect or MS Word format and MUST 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.

Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at "http://waysandmeans.house.gov".

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.