CHILD CARE CONSOLIDATION AND INVESTMENT ACT (Senate - February 23, 1995)

Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Child C are C onsolidation a nd Investment A ct. I am pleased to offer this legislation with my colleague, Senator Kennedy.

The bill would consolidate major child c are p rograms, including the child c are a nd development block grant to create a seamless system of child c are f or working parents; expand access to affordable child c are i n order to promote work and self-sufficiency; ensure that parents will not be forced to leave their children in unsafe situations to comply with work requirements; and build on the child c are a nd development block grant to encourage parental choice, provide for quality and ensure basic health and safety standards.

I attended a hearing of the Subcommittee on Children and Families last week which highlighted the need for this legislation. We heard from several witnesses about the desperate need for an increased investment i n child c are. We also heard about the unintended but terrible consequences of imposing work requirements or time limits for welfare without a corresponding investment i n child c are.

In addition, witnesses discussed the importance of emphasizing quality child c are. It is not enough to simply warehouse our children. We must provide them with a safe, clean, stimulating environment. They deserve no less. That is why our bill would preserve and build on the quality component of the child c are a nd development block grant.

The bill seeks to simplify and consolidate Federal child c are p rograms in hopes of creating seamless support so that individuals have access to child c are a s they move from welfare to job training to work. But it recognizes that consolidation, as important as it is, is no substitute for devoting resources to meet the needs of our kids.

Finally, the bill would seek to put child c are a t its rightful place in the center of the welfare reform debate. It would require any State that imposes work requirements on welfare recipients to offer child c are a ssistance for the recipients' children.

BARRIERS BETWEEN WELFARE AND WORK

I think we all share the same goal in reforming the welfare system--to encourage self-sufficiency and reward work. To get the job done, we must identify the barriers between individuals on welfare and work--and then do our best to eliminate those barriers.

Our bill recognizes that one of the most significant barriers to work is a lack of affordable, quality child c are. But most of the welfare reform proposals coming from the other side of the aisle are woefully inadequate on this point.

Most of the plans would put welfare recipients to work. I wholeheartedly agree that work and job training requirements are critical if we ever hope to break the cycle of poverty. Placing work at the center of our welfare policy is the right approach.

But this raises an important question. Since two-thirds of families receiving aid to families with dependent children have at least one pre-school age child, what happens to the children while their parents are at work? Where do they go? Who will look out for them?

The major Republican proposal in the House completely ignores these questions. Instead of putting children at the center of the welfare reform debate--as they should be--some Republicans are treating them as nuisances to be swept under the rug.

At a time when we should be investing in child c are t o make work possible, the House bill would cut child c are f unding. The House bill would eliminate child c are s ubsidies for 377,000 kids by the year 2000, and cut funding by 24 percent by that time. The House bill would also completely eliminate quality standards--even minimal health and safety requirements.

During a subcommittee mark-up in the other body last week, Representative Jim Nussle had the following to say about proposals to ensure child c are a s part of welfare reform:

Pretty soon we'll have the department of the alarm clocks to wake them up in the morning and the department of bedtime stories to tuck them in at night. It's not the Government's responsibility.