Rich Neal: “Today is day 28 of the Contract With America. We have passed the quarter mark for the first 100 days. Until day 27, we…”

“Today is day 28 of the Contract With America. We have passed the quarter mark for the first 100 days. Until day 27, we heard nothing about child support being included in the contract. In the past, we heard child support is important and would possibly be addressed at a later date. Why was child support not an original provision of the Contract With America? How could we possibly delay acting on such an important issue? I was under the belief the contract was to benefit all Americans. If we are going to benefit all Americans we really have to have provisions which help our children because they are our future. I have carefully reviewed the Personal Responsibility Act and there are no child support provisions. As I have stated before, welfare reform cannot be successful without child support. Child support is the cornerstone of welfare reform. Strong child support enforcement provisions are necessary. When I reviewed the Personal Responsibility Act, my initial reaction was the legislation punished women and did not require men to face up to their responsibilities. Without taking action on child support, we would require young mothers to be responsible while we give fathers a free ride. This is the wrong message to send. We have to send a message to the American people that we are serious about welfare reform. A tough child support system requires both parents to live up to their responsibilities.”