LIKE MOST STATES NEW HAMPSHIRE BOASTS
A DRAMATIC DROP IN THEIR WELFARE ROLLS SINCE THE PASSAGE OF WELFARE REFORM.
NOW, THE CONGRESS IS DEBATING A MEASURE THAT ON THE ONE HAND, WOULD TIGHTEN UP WORK
REQUIREMENTS.
PRESIDENT BUSH DURING HIS SATURDAY RADIO ADDRESS:
?TAPE?(SOUND: I?m proposing that every state be required within five years to have 70 percent of welfare recipients working or being trained to work at least 40 hours a week)
THIS IS UP FROM THE CURRENT REQUIREMENT OF 30 HOURS PER WEEK.
THE PROPOSAL ALSO REQUIRES AT LEAST 24
HOURS A WEEK TO BE SPENT IN JOBS?THAT?S UP
FROM 20 HOURS.
BUT?THAT DOES NOT SIT WELL WITH MANY
GOVERNORS.
A NATIONAL SURVEY BY GROUPS REPRESENTING
THE GOVERNORS AND WELFARE DIRECTORS?FOUND
THAT 39 OF THE 44 STATES EXPRESSED THEIR
OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSAL AS COUNTER
PRODUCTIVE.
NEW HAMSPHIRE GOVERNOR JEAN
SHAHEEN EXPRESSED CONCERN OVER THE
TIGHTENING OF THE WORK REQUIREMENTS.
?TAPE?(SOUND: It could really lead recipients who get placed in a job before they?re really ready to go back into the work force. So, they wouldn?t have the kind of support system under them that they need, in order to go back to work. They might not have the child care resolved. They might not have the job training that?s required. They might not have the basic preparedness that they need in order to succeed) (:26 second)
CRITICS SAY?THE REQUIREMENTS MAY ALSO
LEAD TO THE STATE FINANCING WORK PROGRAMS?
JUST TO MEET THE 70 PERCENT GOAL.
THERE IS ALREADY SUPPORT ON CAPITOL HILL
FOR INCREASING FUNDING FOR CHILD CARE?TO
SHORE UP AN SHORT FALLS.
GOVERNOR SHAHEEN IS A DEMOCRAT RUNNING
FOR THE U-S SENATE THIS YEAR.
AND?ONE OF HER POTENTIAL REPUBLICAN
RIVALS?IS REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN JOHN
SUNUNU?WHO SUPPORTS THE PRESIDENT?S
INITIATIVE:
?TAPE?(SOUND: Goals are set to be worked toward?to see if we can achieve them. Obviously, if we see in three or four years an adjustment is necessary we can take a look at that. But we?re not going to continue to make progress unless we set honest, realistic but difficult to achieve goals.) (:16 seconds)
WHILE TIGHTENING UP WORK REQUIREMENTS?
THE NEW WELFARE LEGISLATION WOULD EASE
FUNDING RESTRICTIONS CALLED A SUPERWAIVER.
THIS WOULD ALLOW FUNDS FROM ONE PUBLIC
ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO BE USED OR BLENDED WITH
ANOTHER.
DURING HIS SATURDAY RADIO ADDRESS?THE
PRESIDENT EMPHASIZED THE NEED FOR FLEXIBILITY
ON THE STATE LEVEL:
?TAPE?(SOUND: My proposal would allow states to redesign how federal programs operate in their states. This would allow states to be more inovative in providing better job training, housing, and nutrition programs and better child care services to low income families) (:15 seconds)
WELFARE OFFICIALS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE ARE
LOOKING TO THIS PART OF THE LEGISLATION?TO
EASE THEM OUT OF THE TIGHT RESTRICTIONS.
NEW HAMSPHIRE HAD A WAIVER UNDER THE
1996 LEGISLATION?THAT GAVE IT FLEXIBILITY
IN WHAT WAS DEFINED AS WORK ACTIVITIES AND
EXEMPTIONS FOR WORK.
THAT EXPIRED IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR.
GOVERNOR SHEEHAN DOES SEE PROMISE IN
THIS PART OF THE LEGISLATION:
?TAPE?(SOUND: I think that aspect of it is a good thing. Because it would allow us to waive some of these onerous regulations that require so much administrative time) (:10 seconds)
AND?IT EVEN GETS SUPPORT FROM CONGRESS
SUNUNU:
?TAPE?(SOUND: It allows states to co-ordinate their food stamp programs, their public housing, workforce and investment act funding along with aid for needy families tanf in order to come up with innovative ways to help those who need assistance ? not just meet their day to day expenses ? but to get the skills, the training, the child care they need to become independent) (:23 seconds)
BUT?DEMOCRATS AND PUBLIC INTEREST
GROUPS?QUESTION WHETHER THIS ABILITY TO
CO-MINGLE FUNDS WILL LEAD TO THE ELIMINATION
OF PROGRAMS.
SEAN FREMSTAD?IS SENIOR POLICY ANALYST
WITH THE CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY
PRIORITIES.
HE FEARS?THE SUPER WAIVER COULD LEAD
STATES TO SHORE UP THEIR BUDGETS?IN
ECONOMICALLY DIFFICULT TIMES:
?TAPE?(SOUND: The ultimate problem is that you might not have states committing new resources to programs for low incomes families as the bottom line of this. You may have them shifting money around and actually pulling back on investments that they already have for these families. The superwaiver doesn?t really have any protections against that kind of shifting around and
using it for plugging budget gaps. You don?t really have any check on the kind of abuse of funds) (:26 seconds)
NEW HAMSPHIRE CONGRESS CHARLES BASS
DOESN?T BUY THOSE FEARS.
INSTEAD?HE BELIEVES THERE IS ENOUGH
FLEXIBITY IN BOTH THE WORK REQUIREMENTS AND
THE WAIVER SYSTEM?FOR THE GRANITE STATE:
?TAPE?(SOUND) There are significant exceptions if you will ? broad definitions of type of work and how much work you have to do and so forth which I think create enough flexibility to work correctly in New Hampshire. That combined with the still ongoing debate about broadening that waiver authority actually make it work a lot better than it does today) (:22 seconds)
THE HOUSE IS EXPECTED TO APPROVE THE
LEGISLATION?BUT THE DEMOCRATICALLY
CONTROLLED SENATE IS EXPECTED TO BE
TOUGHER FOR THE MEASURE.
FOR NHPR NEWS
THIS IS DON RUSH
IN WASHINGTON
