Government Relations Action Alert

Still Time to Influence Senate Action on Welfare Reauthorization

July 3, 2003

THE ISSUE AT HAND

Following its work on tax cuts and Medicare, the Senate Finance Committee finally may turn its attention to the reauthorization of the 1996 welfare law. The Committee has tentatively scheduled consideration of the welfare bill for Wednesday, July 23, 2003. Senate floor action could follow immediately, but is more likely to be scheduled for sometime in September after the August congressional recess. It also is possible that action by the Committee could be delayed.   

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) was to have been reauthorized last year, but instead has been extended three times. The latest extension runs through September 30, 2003. The House passed its version of the reauthorization bill (H.R. 4) in February. H.R. 4 is nearly identical to the bill (H.R. 4737) passed by the House last year. For more information on the House bill see: https://www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/welfare/legislation/hr4737.asp The bill itself is available at: http://thomas.loc.gov

The Senate Finance Committee is not planning to use the House-passed bill or any of the welfare-related bills that have been introduced in the Senate as a starting point, but rather is crafting its own proposal that may contain elements from other bills as well as entirely new provisions.

NASW POSITION & STRATEGY

NASW has purposely pursued a strategy to focus its advocacy on issues critical to social work and families, but which were not receiving sufficient national attention. The Association is supporting a number of high profile issues: increasing access to education and training, including higher education; restoring benefits for immigrants; increasing funding for child care; and maintaining current work hours. However, NASW is spending the majority of its resources promoting three less-publicized issues.

NASW’s priorities include: (1) improving services to families with major barriers to work, such as disabilities, mental health problems, substance abuse, and domestic violence; (2) eliminating racial and ethnic discrimination within the welfare system; and (3) improving the welfare workforce. 

TAKE ACTION

If you have not yet contacted your Senators about welfare reauthorization—now is the time. It is most critical that you contact members of the Senate Finance Committee (a list follows). However, all Senators should be contacted because they have the opportunity to express their views to members of the committee and will be voting on the bill when it reaches the Senate floor. 

Given the continuing congressional mail delivery problems, e-mails, faxes, and phone calls remain the best ways to communicate. A draft letter, to fax or e-mail, is posted on NASW’s Congress Web: http://63.66.87.48/cweb4/index.cfm?orgcode=NASW

If you prefer to call, a draft script follows. All Senators’ Washington offices can be reached through the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Individual Senators’ telephone numbers can be accessed through Congress Web. You also may call Senators’ district offices.  

Sample Telephone Script

As a constituent, professional social worker, and member of the National Association of Social Workers, I urge the Senator to support three critical improvements to the 1996 welfare law.

First, states should be given the authority to determine how long families need rehabilitation services based on the individual circumstances of each family and their participation in those services should count as meeting the work requirements. Limiting rehabilitation services to three months, or even six months, ignores the research and realities of disability and addiction.

Second, to ensure fair and equitable treatment for all racial and ethnic minorities, states should be required to develop and implement clear nondiscrimination policies and face stiffer penalties for noncompliance with federal and state civil rights laws.

Finally, states should be provided with resources and requirements for upgrading the skills and competence of the welfare workforce. All frontline caseworkers should receive training in effectively communicating program rules, screening participants for disabilities and other barriers to work, and delivering services free from racial or ethnic discrimination. More in-depth assessments should be performed by qualified professionals.

These three provisions, along with increased access to education and training, and additional child care, will go a long way to providing the tools families need to move from welfare to work. I hope I can count on the Senator’s support. Thank you.

Senate Finance Committee

Arkansas: Blanche Lincoln (D)
Arizona: Jon Kyl (R)
Florida: Bob Graham (D)
Iowa: Chuck Grassley (R), Chairman
Kentucky: Jim Bunning (R)
Louisiana: John Breaux (D)
Maine: Olympia Snowe (R)
Massachusetts: John Kerry (D)
Mississippi: Trent Lott (R)
Montana: Max Baucus (D), Ranking Member
New Mexico: Jeff Bingaman (D)
North Dakota: Kent Conrad (D)
Oklahoma:  Don Nickles (R)
Oregon: Gordon Smith (R)
Pennsylvania: Rick Santorum (R)
South Dakota: Tom Daschle (D), Minority Leader
Tennessee: Bill Frist (R), Majority Leader
Utah: Orrin Hatch (R)
Vermont: Jim Jeffords (I)
West Virginia: Jay Rockefeller (D)
Wyoming: Craig Thomas (R)

For more information on the welfare issue, see: https://www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/welfare/legislation/default.asp

AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR YOUR ADVOCACY!