Ryan Secures Key Welfare Provisions for Wisconsin in Committee Markup

WASHINGTON – First District Congressman Paul Ryan announced that he has secured key provisions in the welfare legislation marked up today by the House Ways and Means Committee that benefit Wisconsin and take into account the state’s record of success with helping welfare recipients achieve independence. Overall, the legislation considered today by the Ways and Means Committee – H.R. 4090, "The Personal Responsibility, Work and Family Promotion Act of 2002" – reauthorizes the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and reflects the President’s welfare proposals.

"Going into the committee’s markup of this legislation I had two goals in mind: 1) make sure Wisconsin is not penalized for its early success, and 2) maintain state flexibility so we can continue to innovate and lead the nation in lifting people out of welfare and into lives of self-sufficiency," Ryan said. "I worked with the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and others to find a way to ensure that Wisconsin gets credit for its past successes and therefore maintains its flexibility to craft Wisconsin-based programs that work to help families gain independence from welfare."

Under current law, at least 50 percent of TANF families are required to participate in work and other activities designed to help them achieve self-sufficiency. The legislation considered today by the Ways and Means Committee increases the work requirement by 5 percent per year, so that states are required to have 70 percent of welfare families working and participating in other job-preparation activities 40 hours per week in Fiscal Year 2007. In addition, the legislation allows states to get "credit" toward work participation rates for caseload declines. Under this legislation, by 2005 and in subsequent years, states would get credit for caseload declines in the prior three years.

The provision that Ryan secured for Wisconsin goes beyond this to establish "Superachiever" credit for states that have achieved caseload declines well above the national average since 1995. Wisconsin is among the seventeen states that will receive this additional credit toward the state work rate. For these "Superachiever" states, work requirements may be reduced to no less than 50 percent (prior to an added credit for future net caseload reduction) if the state reduced its caseloads by more than 60 percent between 1995 and 2001. The result of Ryan’s amendment is that Wisconsin is expected to automatically satisfy the new 70 percent work requirement, regardless of future caseload reductions.

"Paul Ryan has been tenacious in fighting for Wisconsin’s future welfare-to-work success throughout consideration of this measure," Bill Thomas, Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said. "He brought his concerns to my attention, and I was happy to work with him to make sure this legislation does not unfairly penalize Wisconsin for leading the charge in helping welfare recipients become self-sufficient."

In addition to the "Superachiever" credit, which will help Wisconsin satisfy work requirements for welfare recipients, Ryan also fought for greater flexibility for states in administering their welfare programs.

The Ways and Means bill, H.R. 4090, makes room for new waiver authority, within TANF and Social Services Block Grants, to enable states to conduct "superwaiver" demonstration projects to improve program effectiveness and integrate a range of programs in order to improve service delivery. This superwaiver provision gives states greater flexibility and room for innovation. Ryan worked to strengthen this part of the legislation by including an important distinction. He pushed for language, that was included in the legislation, that specifies that, if a state applies for a superwaiver and its request is not acted on within 90 days, on the 91^st day, the request for a waiver will be deemed approved. This will prevent states’ waiver requests from languishing. Additional language Ryan secured improves the potential for securing a waiver by making more flexible the cost neutrality provisions of the bill.