Mike Thompson: “I come down this afternoon to the floor to speak in favor of meaningful welfare reform, to speak in support of the…”

“I come down this afternoon to the floor to speak in favor of meaningful welfare reform, to speak in support of the substitute measure. The first goal of welfare reform should be poverty reduction, and this bill does reduce poverty by equipping people with the tools they need to find meaningful employment and then be able to keep that job once they get it. Many States have already found what works in their State, what is successful welfare reform, and that is because they have the flexibility to provide specific needs to the people in their State. My State of California is a prime example of that. We have figured out how to make welfare reform work. We have crafted a plan that puts people to work and works for the people in our State. Under our welfare reform, because of that flexibility, California has tripled the number of welfare recipients who have moved into employment, and their average monthly earnings has significantly increased. We have reduced our caseloads by over 40 percent in California. Unlike the underlying bill, the substitute continues to allow that flexibility to work. I ask Members to support the substitute bill.”