Lynn C. Woolsey: “today we debated new ways to punish juvenile offenders, but last Congress the Republican majority enacted a welfare…”

“today we debated new ways to punish juvenile offenders, but last Congress the Republican majority enacted a welfare reform law that punishes children whose only crime is being poor. It is time for us to address the problems in the new welfare law. So today I, along with my colleague, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton from the District of Columbia, introduced two pieces of legislation that would correct some of the flaws in the new welfare legislation. We did this to give parents and kids on welfare a fighting chance. Mr. Speaker, I am a former welfare mother, so I understand what goes on inside a welfare mother's mind. The main thing is anxiety. Will there be enough food for our children? Are my kids safe at home and at school? Am I doing what is best for them? Will I ever be able to get out of this mess? These questions have always been tough to answer, but the new welfare law has made it even tougher. Parts of this law actually penalize moms who are trying to protect their children and improve their prospects for a better future. So today, Delegate Norton and I introduced two essential bills aimed at correcting serious flaws in the law. Our bills give welfare moms a fighting chance. One bill helps ensure that the children of welfare mothers are safe, as we wish all of our children to be; the other gives moms on welfare the educational opportunities that the rest of us take for granted.”