Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 14, 1993 TAG: 9302140299
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: D-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
FUND AND EXPAND OLD WORKFARE LAW
President Clinton wants to restructure the federal-state system that cares for the poorest of the poor."I think all of us want what most people on welfare want, a country that gives you a hand up, not a handout," he said this month.
About 13.5 million Americans - one out of every 19 - are on welfare today. That means that making all the changes Clinton favors could triple the $15 billion federal share of welfare costs, unless the economy recovers enough to trim the nation's bulging welfare rolls. So Clinton set no timetable for reaching his goals.
Clinton's main plan is to fully fund and enforce a workfare law signed by President Reagan in 1988.
Called the Family Support Act, it requires states to set up federally subsidized work, education and training for welfare parents, who in turn get to keep some child care and health benefits when they go to work.
"The bill that's on the books will work, given the right economy and the right kind of support system," plus controls on health costs, Clinton said.
Beyond that, he said, his working group and a governors' working group will draft proposals for Congress that would:
Cut off benefits for any trained and capable recipient who won't take a private or public job within two years. That might require creating 1930s-style, make-work government jobs.
Expand the earned income tax credit until it's so big that any parent who works a 40-hour week can support a family.
Use the IRS and a new federal data bank to collect child support from deadbeat parents.
Give the states more elbow room to experiment. But cut off federal support for state experiments that don't show measurable improvements.