Hilda L. Solis: “as we work to create welfare reform legislation, we must make sure that TANF recipients have access to higher education…”

“as we work to create welfare reform legislation, we must make sure that TANF recipients have access to higher education and suitable child care. Recipients need to earn higher wages that will lift them out of the cycle of poverty. Forty-four percent of adults receiving TANF cash assistance in 1999 lacked a high school diploma or a GED certificate. In my district alone, the female recipients there had less than an eighth grade education. In Los Angeles County, about 41 percent of the TANF caseload are limited-English proficient. That is to say that they do not speak English. Their primary language may be Spanish or even Chinese. Clearly, TANF recipients need educational opportunities before they can qualify for high-quality paying jobs and livable wages, not just minimum-wage jobs. Given this reality, I am disappointed that the Bush administration has chosen to ignore the need to extend educational opportunities. We cannot get people into good jobs if they only have 12 months of training. We need to extend that to 2 years, at a minimum, so that they can go on into higher education.”