May 1, 2002 WASHINGTON, D.C. –Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) announced that her amendment to make poverty reduction a goal of Welfare reform will be included in H.R. 4092, the Working Toward Independence Act of 2002.

“The amendment will fill our goals to make poverty reduction a major goal of Welfare Reform,” said Rep. Woolsey. The amendment, which was offered with Reps. Patsy Mink (D-Hawaii) and Donald Payne (D-New Jersey), adds poverty reduction as a basic purpose of the work participation requirements in Welfare reform.

The amendment passed by unanimous voice vote.

“Pushing Families out of welfare and into poverty was never the goal of Welfare reform, but; that is exactly what Congress did in 1996,” said Rep. Woolsey. “Some think that the system is fine just the way it is, but I know we can do better… We cannot continue to measure the success of welfare reform by the number of people who have left the welfare rolls without regard for how those families are providing for their basic needs. The enemy wasn’t Welfare; the enemy was and is, poverty.”

“Welfare must break the cycle of poverty to strengthen our families and improve our children’s future,” said Rep. Woolsey. “Welfare programs fail when they only move people from welfare into poverty. We have an opportunity to learn from the past five years and make welfare work.”

Once the bill is approved by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and a companion bill is passed by the House Ways and Means Committee, they will both be discussed for inclusion in a bill that will be brought to the House floor.

Rep. Woolsey has a unique perspective on Welfare. Thirty-five years ago, she was a single mother on Welfare. Even though she was working, Rep. Woolsey needed public assistance to provide health care, childcare and food stamps for her three small children. She is serving her fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives

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