James Sensenbrenner, February 14, 2003

President Reagan once said "Welfare needs a purpose: to provide for the needy, of course, but more than that, to salvage these, our fellow citizens, to make them self-sustaining and, as quickly as possible, independent of welfare. We should measure welfare’s success by how many people leave welfare, not by how many are added."

I couldn’t agree more.

One of the greatest accomplishments Republicans have made since being elected to the majority party in Congress, has been to reform America’s welfare system. Through the creation of a welfare state, the federal government, for decades, has steered citizens into dead-end avenues of despair. With the passage of the 1996 Welfare Reform bill, all of this changed. Led by the GOP, the House and Senate reformed welfare, gave states latitude and incentives, and made historical progress in promoting independence.

Last year, the House passed a bill to reauthorize the 1996 Welfare Reform law. It passed the House with my support on May 16, 2002. But it died in the Senate, which was controlled by Democrats at the time.

Recognizing the importance of this issue, the House decided to bring back a bill to once again try and reauthorize Welfare Reform as one of its first major pieces of legislation. With yesterday’s vote of 230 - 192, which once again included my support, the House reauthorized the 1996 Welfare Reform law, by passing H.R. 4, the Personal Responsibility, Work and Family Promotion Act of 2003.

H.R. 4 helps our less fortunate Americans by continuing to teach them how to be independent and self-sufficient. The pride one feels by bringing home a check earned through work far outweighs the value of the check one can collect in an unemployment line. We learned this lesson in Wisconsin a long time ago. Led by former Governor Tommy Thompson, Wisconsin was a pioneer in the field of welfare reform with its much heralded program, Wisconsin Works, also known as W-2. Many of the successful provisions and ideas in Wisconsin’s welfare law were included in the 1996 Welfare Reform bill, and will be part of this year’s reauthorization.

In order to strengthen the success of Welfare Reform, HR 4 enhances work requirements of those receiving welfare benefits. To assist recipients who are seeking employment, the bill includes provisions that protect children by increasing child care funding and increasing states’ flexibility to provide child care for low-income working families. This legislation also recognizes the importance of a strong family base, and accordingly, includes programs that encourage healthy, stable marriages.

Opponents of this effort measure the success of welfare by how many people are on the system. But, like President Reagan, I believe success should be measured by how few people are on the welfare rolls. When Americans are able to stand on their own two feet, they can attain a better future for themselves and their families, and through work, can better contribute to society. To paraphrase the old adage, "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and you feed him for life." In Wisconsin, and in the House, we believe in feeding everyone for life.

James Sensenbrenner, Jr., is a Republican Member of Congress representing the Fifth Congressional District of Wisconsin.