For three decades, in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Washington State Legislature, Jim has devoted his efforts to the needs of working families, the sick, the vulnerable, and the impoverished. Prior to election to the State Legislature, Jim was a practicing psychiatrist with the State of Washington and King County, and he served on the faculty of Medicine at the University of Washington. As Chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means’ Income Security and Family Support subcommittee (now the Human Resources subcommittee), Jim guided major legislation into law, and he conducted frequent public hearings on ways to reduce poverty, help dislocated workers and protect children. He remains active on the subcommittee - serving the people of Seattle and all Americans in need - and recently unveiled a comprehensive agenda to end poverty in America.
Helping Unemployed Workers
Jim authored and fought for major unemployment insurance
(UI) extensions and reforms that were signed into law, which helped workers who
lost their jobs through no fault of their own during the recession. These new
laws are the most significant improvements in UI since the system was created
in 1935. They extended UI benefits to more than 13 million Americans, increased
weekly benefits for nearly 23 million jobless workers, and provided incentives
to 38 states to modernize their UI programs and better cover low-wage and
part-time workers. Jim vehemently opposes recent proposals to reverse these
improvements and to abolish the UI system’s guarantee of support.
Meeting the Needs of Children in Foster Care
Jim authored a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s foster care
system – the "Fostering
Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act” - which was signed
into law in 2008. The bipartisan law provides new federal assistance to
relatives caring for foster children, extends federal support for foster
children to the age of 21, improves oversight of the health and education needs
of foster children, and allows direct federal payments for tribal foster care
programs.
To build on these reforms, Jim recently authored child welfare waiver legislation (H.R. 1194), to renew the authority of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to grant waivers for state demonstration projects to test innovative child welfare programs. This bipartisan legislation was included in a bill that was passed by both the House and Senate and signed into law by President Obama. With this legislation, Washington State and other states can continue developing the next generation of innovation and reform to meet the needs of children in foster care.
Improving TANF, Job Training and Education
In the midst of the worst recession since the Great
Depression, Jim used his leadership position on the Income Security Subcommittee
to secure crucial assistance for families through the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Provisions authored by Jim provided $5
billion to the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Emergency Fund,
which helped states meet rising needs among families and also created jobs for
working parents. Thirty-seven states used Emergency Funds to create more than
250,000 jobs through subsidized employment programs to hire unemployed workers.
Reaching Refugees and Persons with Disability
As Chairman of the Income Security Subcommittee, Jim
authored and passed legislation in 2008 to extend vital public assistance to
elderly and disabled refugees. This bipartisan legislation extended the
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) eligibility period by two years, aiding
thousands of refugees who came to America in search of a better life but
need basic assistance in their pursuit of full citizenship. Jim has
introduced legislation this year to extend this assistance and to address
other refugee needs.
Understanding Poverty
Experts have long agreed that the “official” measure of
poverty, created in the early 1960’s, is badly outdated. Based on
recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences, Jim introduced
legislation – the "Measuring American
Poverty Act" to develop and report a more accurate measure of poverty.
His legislative proposal and subcommittee hearings are reflected in the Obama
Administration’s decision to develop and report a Supplemental
Poverty Measure alongside the official measure. Jim intends to reintroduce
legislation to ensure that a modern poverty measure becomes permanent.
Related Press:
