Max Baucus: “on July 12, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services, HHS announced a new initiative to allow States to…”

“on July 12, 2012, the Department of Health and Human Services, HHS announced a new initiative to allow States to experiment under the temporary assistance for needy families, TANF, block grant. The HHS initiative would waive some Federal requirements for qualifying states and instead allow them to develop and use ``alternative and innovative strategies, policies, and procedures that are designed to improve employment outcomes for needy families.'' States would be required to improve employment by 20 percent in order to keep one of these waivers. Some of my colleagues object to this approach. I was a supporter of 1996 welfare reform and stand by the tenets of that reform. However, it has been seventeen years since that debate on welfare produced the TANF program. We would not expect a car to run for 17 years without maintenance. It is time to tune-up our Nation's antipoverty program. It is time to take a look under the hood. In the past, TANF has provided crucial benefits to struggling Americans. As poverty rates for women and children increase, it is vital to ensure our programs are adequately meeting the needs of this vulnerable population. The Congressional Research Service estimates that in 1995 over 14 million children were living in poverty. After welfare reform, the number of kids living in poverty decreased to about 11 million by 2000. Since then, these gains have been eroded.…”