Asa Hutchinson: “I applaud Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas for her leadership and for her aggressive work on this amendment, also…”

“I applaud Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas for her leadership and for her aggressive work on this amendment, also Senator Bob Graham of the State of Florida, who has done such great work. This amendment extends for fiscal year 2002 the supplemental grants for rapidly growing States under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. These States include Arkansas, Florida, Texas, and about 14 other States that are dramatically impacted by this situation--all of which receive lower levels of block grant funding per child than other States. The TANF program was created back in 1996 to provide States with flexible block grants to meet the needs of low-income families trying to get off traditional welfare rolls. The program has worked well. It has been successful. Flexibility with this funding is vital to support low-income individuals and families and keep them in the workplace. These supplemental grants are set to expire. Unless we do something, it is going to dramatically negatively impact these States. The child poverty rate in the States affected is 19½ percent--a quarter above the child poverty rate in other States. These supplemental grants are very important. They need to be extended. I think this has bipartisan support.”