Adrian Smith: “Since the creation of the MIECHV Program, States have been required to demonstrate their home visiting programs result…”

“Since the creation of the MIECHV Program, States have been required to demonstrate their home visiting programs result in measurable improvements in six benchmark areas specified in the law. One of the benchmark areas States can choose to focus on is ``improvements in family economic self-sufficiency.'' Yet, as the result of changes made last year under the prior Presidential administration, ``economic self-sufficiency'' no longer means what you think it means--increasing work and earnings. Instead, it was defined as whether you have health insurance or are in school. Clearly, this is not what Congress meant when the program was created and included the concept of economic self-sufficiency. So this bill would make sure that States, if they choose to focus on family economic self-sufficiency as one of the four benchmarks of the six, would measure employment and earnings as a part of that metric. Again, States can choose among six different benchmarks when they decide which home visiting programs to operate and what goals they would like to achieve within those previously established by Congress. They don't have to choose this metric, as I mentioned earlier. However, when they do explicitly set out to increase economic self-sufficiency-- emphasis on the economic--information on work and earnings must be part of what is measured to determine whether they have achieved their goal. I believe it is absolutely critical that this intent be restored in the law. Mr.…”