Mike Levin: “Today we are considering the Welfare Reform Technical Corrections Act of 1997. This legislation will correct technical…”

“Today we are considering the Welfare Reform Technical Corrections Act of 1997. This legislation will correct technical problems that impact implementation of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. Last year's bill carried out significant changes in the structure of our Nation's welfare system. As we all know, it is inevitable when we pass comprehensive legislation that we must go back and correct technical errors. The basis of this bill began with a list of recommended corrections submitted by the administration early in the year. From the outset, the process of formulating this bill was always open. States, municipalities and advocacy groups contributed extensively to the process to ensure that this bill clears up any ambiguities due to drafting errors or oversight. By agreement among Republicans and Democrats on the committee, this bill only addresses strictly technical problems which have been identified since the bill's passage. Each of the measures in this bill is technical in nature and does not change the substance of the new law.”