Urge Support for Senate Amendment that Would Increase Access to Postsecondary Education for Welfare  Recipients

BACKGROUND

Under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (P.L. 104-193), access to postsecondary education was severely restricted for welfare recipients. Despite the overwhelming evidence that higher education provides the best avenue out of poverty, current law restricts the definition of work activity to 12 months of vocational training. In addition, only 30 percent of a state's work participation rate can be comprised of recipients engaged in vocational training, and beginning in the year 2000, that 30 percent must include teenagers without high school diplomas who are required to be in school.

An amendment proposed by Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN) would add postsecondary education as a countable work activity, increase the 12-month restriction to 24 months for both postsecondary and vocational education, and would remove teenagers from the 30 percent limit. The changes would give more people more time to enhance their chances in the job market. Senator Wellstone intends to offer the amendment to the Higher Education Act reauthorization bill (S. 1882) when it is debated on the Senate floor.

Senate debate on the Higher Education Act reauthorization bill (S. 1882) is expected to take place sometime in July, following the July 4^th congressional recess, but could be delayed until after the August recess.

ALASKA: Ted Stevens (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-3004; Fax 202-224-2354; Email ‘senator_stevens@stevens.senate.gov’; Frank Murkowski (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-6665; Fax 202-224-5301; Email ‘email@murkowski.senate.gov’.

ARIZONA: John McCain (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-2235; Fax 202-228-2862; Email ‘senator_mccain@mccain.senate.gov’

CONNECTICUT: Joseph I. Lieberman (Dem.)—Telephone 202-224-4041; Fax 202-224-9750; Email ‘senator_lieberman@lieberman.senate.gov’.

IDAHO: Dirk Kempthorne (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-6142; Fax 202-224-5893; Email ‘dirk_kempthorne@kempthorne.senate.gov’ .

INDIANA: Richard G. Lugar (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-4814; Fax 202-228-0360; Email ‘senator_lugar@lugar.senate.gov’.

KANSAS: Pat Roberts (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-4774; Fax 202-224-3514; Email ‘pat_roberts@roberts.senate.gov’.

LOUSISIANA: John B. Breaux (Dem.)—Telephone 202-224-4623; Fax 202-228-2577; Email ‘senator@breaux.senate.gov ’.

MAINE: Susan M. Collins—Telephone 202-224-2523; Fax 202-224-2693; Email ‘senator@collins.senate.gov’
Olympia J. Snowe—Telephone 202-224-5344; Fax 202-224-1946; Email ‘olympia@snowe.senate.gov’.

MICHIGAN: Spencer Abraham (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-4822; Fax 202-224-8834; Email ‘michigan@abraham.senate.gov’.

MISSOURI: Christopher "Kit" Bond (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-5721; Fax 202-224-8149; Email ‘kit_bond@bond.senate.gov’.

NEBRASKA: Chuck Hagel (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-4224; Fax 202-224-5213; Email ‘chuck_hagel@hagel.senate.gov’.

NEW YORK: Alphonse M. D’Amato—Telephone 202-224-6542; Fax 202-224-5871; Email ‘senator_al@damato.senate.gov’  

OREGON: Robert C. Smith (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-2841; Fax 202-224-1353; Email ‘opinion@smith.senate.gov’.

PENNSYLVANIA: Arlen Specter (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-4254; Fax 202-228-1229; Email ‘senator_specter@specter.senate.gov’.

RHODE ISLAND: John H. Chafee (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-2921; Fax Not Listed; Email ‘senator_chafee@chafee.senate.gov’.

UTAH: Robert F. Bennett (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-5444; Fax 202-224-4908; Email ‘senator@bennett.senate.gov’
Orrin G. Hatch (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-5251; Fax 202-224-6331; Email ‘senator_hatch@hatch.senate.gov’.

VERMONT: James M. Jeffords (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-5141; Fax 202-228-0338; Email ‘vermont@jeffords.senate.gov’ .

VIRGINIA: John Warner (Rep.)—Telephone 202-224-2023; Fax 202-224-6295; Email ‘senator@warner.senate.gov’.

WEST VIRGINIA: Robert C. Byrd (Dem.)—Telephone 202-224-3954; Fax 202-228-0002; Email ‘senator_byrd@byrd.senate.gov’.

By District Visit. Many Senators will spend time in their home states during both the July 4^th and August congressional recesses.

The Senate will be in recess June 27-July 5 and August 1-September 7. Call your Senator’s district or Washington office to schedule meetings (ask for the scheduler) or attend open forums in which you can ask for support for the Wellstone amendment.

By Telephone. Telephone numbers are listed above. Sample verbal message below.

When you call, ask to speak to the staff person handling welfare issues. If staff is unavailable, leave a message on voice mail or with the receptionist.

By Letter. Fax numbers (where available) and e-mail addresses listed above. Sample letter below. Surface mail address for all Senators: The Honorable (first name, last name), United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510.

As a professional social worker knowledgeable about the correlation between education and earning power (or on behalf of the (number) members of the (state) Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers), I am calling to urge Senator (last name) to support Senator Wellstone's amendment to the Higher Education Act reauthorization bill. The amendment would increase access to postsecondary and vocational education for welfare recipients -- access that is key to successful welfare reform. Research shows that women who earn a college degree will spend less time on welfare and are far less likely to need support again. The Wellstone amendment will help make such a scenario possible. It deserves the Senator’s support.

Date

The Honorable (first name, last name)
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator (last name):

As a professional social worker (or on behalf of the (number) members of the (state) Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers), I urge you to support Senator Wellstone's amendment to the Higher Education Act reauthorization bill to increase access to postsecondary and vocational education for welfare recipients.

Since the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, community colleges, universities and adult education programs have seen dramatic declines in enrollment among welfare recipients. This consequence of the new law means that thousands of families will have fewer opportunities for escaping poverty and becoming self-sufficient.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 53 percent of women receiving welfare already are high school graduates or have earned GEDs. Research shows that women who go on to earn a college degree will spend less time on welfare and are far less likely to need support again. That spells savings for state budgets and a dramatic positive impact on the quality of life for women and their families. Senator Wellstone’s amendment will help make that possible. It deserves your support.

Sincerely,

Postsecondary education allows welfare recipients to pursue careers beyond the low wage, short-term jobs usually available to them.

• Without an education, most women who leave welfare for work will earn wages far below the federal poverty line, even after five years of working (Weisbrot, 1997).
• Nationally, the economy is projected to create only half as many new low skill jobs as there are welfare recipients targeted to enter the labor market (Weisbrot, 1997).
• At least half of all new jobs by the year 2000 will require a college-educated workforce (Kates, 1993).

Postsecondary education is a cost-effective strategy for permanently moving welfare recipients from welfare to work at a decent wage.

• The average person who attended a two year college earned about 10 percent more than those without any college education, even without completing an associate’s degree (Kane & Rouse, 1985).
• African American women holding bachelor’s degrees earn $2,000 a month, compared to $1,200 for those with only some college education (Gittell, Vandersall, Holdaway, and Newman, 1996).
• Among families headed by African American women, the poverty rate for heads of households with at least one year of postsecondary education is 21 percent, compared to 51 percent for those with only a high school education (Gittell, Vandersall, Holdaway, and Newman, 1996).
• Among families headed by Latinas, the poverty rate drops from 41 percent to 19 percent with at least one year of postsecondary education (Census Population Survey, as cited in Sherman, 1990).
• For white women, the poverty rate drops from 22 percent to 13 percent with at least one year of postsecondary education (Census Population Survey, as cited in Sherman, 1990).
• On average, women with a college degree earn an additional $3.65 an hour (1997 dollars) over the wages of women with only a high school diploma (Spalter-Roth and Hartmann, as cited in Institute for Women’s Policy Research, 1998).

Postsecondary education breaks the cycle of poverty for women and their children.

• Benefits extend to the children of educated parents, as they are more likely to take education seriously and aspire to go to college themselves (Gittell, Gross, and Holdaway, 1993).
• There is a strong association between parental income and the income of their children in future years (Gittell, Gross, and Holdaway, 1993).
• Women report an overall improvement in the quality of their lives and in their relationships with their children. Women reported that their confidence had increased and that they had become better parents (Gittell, Schehl, & Fareri, 1990).

Since the passage of the 1996 welfare law, community colleges, universities and adult education programs have seen dramatic declines in enrollment among welfare recipients.

• Some reports suggest that these drops are primarily due to difficulties that welfare recipients experience in juggling jobs and community service or workfare assignments, in addition to family, school and financial responsibilities (Valbrun, 1998; Schmidt, 1998).
• Baltimore City Community College reported a 29 percent drop in enrollment of welfare recipients from Fall 1996 to Fall 1997.
• City University of New York welfare recipient enrollment decreased from about 27,000 to 17,000 over the last three years.
• From 1994-1997, there was a 47 percent total decline in enrollment among welfare recipients in Massachusetts’ community colleges.

May 26, 1998
Contact: Jon Hiratsuka, 202-336-8228

The nation’s social workers support a proposed amendment by Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-MN) to allow welfare recipients more opportunity to obtain higher education—the surest route out of poverty.

"Thousands of welfare recipients have had to drop out of community colleges, universities, and adult education programs to meet the welfare reform law’s work requirements," said Cynthia Woodside, NASW government relations associate. "They are being forced to trade futures as computer operators, medical technicians, and other decent paying vocations for dead-end, near minimum wage jobs that cannot lift families out of poverty."

Successful welfare reform is not measured by how many families leave the welfare rolls, but by how many families leave the poverty rolls, Woodside said.

Under current welfare law, only 12 months of vocational education can be counted as "work," and only 30 percent of welfare recipients are allowed to meet their work obligation through educational activities. Starting in the year 2000, that 20 percent must include teenagers without high school diplomas, who are required by law to stay in school.

The Wellstone amendment to the Higher Education Act reauthorization bill would add postsecondary education as a countable work activity and extend the time limit, allowing 24 months of postsecondary and vocational education to count as work. It also would remove teenagers from the 30 percent limit, thus giving more people more time to enhance their chances in the job market. Wellstone is expected to offer the amendment when the bill reaches the Senate floor.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, adults with even an associate degree have median earnings 29 percent higher than those with only a high school diploma. The Institute for Women Policy Studies found that a college degree increases earnings by $2.65 an hour for working mothers, compared to those with only a high school education.