Jan Meyers: “I would like to talk today about the subject of welfare reform. I have a bill that I have introduced, which is H.R.…”

“I would like to talk today about the subject of welfare reform. I have a bill that I have introduced, which is H.R. 1293. I would like to start out by telling you all a statistic which I think is a startling statistic. At least it amazed me. By the year 2000, 80 percent of minority children and 40 percent of all children will be born illegitimate in the United States. I would like to tell you another statistic which I think is significant. If you graduate from high school, if you get married, and you do not have your first child until you are 20, of that group, only 8 percent live in poverty. But if you do not graduate from high school, if you do not get married, and if you have your first child as a teen, 80 percent of that group live in poverty. Now, our policies I think in this country have encouraged illegitimacy and have encouraged poverty. These policies were enacted with the best of intentions. They were enacted to assist people, to help people. But it did not work out that way. And I think it is time to admit that we are doing something very, very wrong in this country and change the way that we are doing things. Now, a number of us have thought about this a great deal. To have a good welfare reform bill, it should cost less, not more. If someone tells you that they have a welfare reform idea but it is going to cost another $10 billion, it is probably not welfare reform. It is probably more of the same.”