Nancy Kassebaum: “I am happy to be able to start off by offering one of the 200 amendments that will be considered today. The amendment…”

“I am happy to be able to start off by offering one of the 200 amendments that will be considered today. The amendment that I am offering and that I would like to discuss briefly this morning would restore provisions contained in the Child Care and Development Block Grant Amendments Act of 1995. This is the reauthorization of legislation that has been in law for 5 years. It was approved by the Committee on Labor and Human Resources by a unanimous vote on May 25. While I am committed to ending the concept of welfare as an entitlement, I have some concerns about the legislation before us, the Work Opportunity Act, regarding changes that have been made to child care. It seems to me that one of the most important considerations we have to undertake when we are considering welfare reform is how we handle child care. I think that all of us here in the Senate on both sides of the aisle regard our ability to structure welfare reform in an effective manner a top priority for the 104th Congress. We can talk about ending support for mothers who should be working, for families who should be working, but it is the children who become a crucial element. It is with the children that we have to be careful and must begin breaking the cycle of dependence that has occurred through years of being on welfare.”