Senate votes more money for child care in welfare bill, over White House o

[Judi Lynn]

Senate votes more money for child care in welfare bill, over White House objections

By Mark Sherman
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1:56 p.m. March 30, 2004

WASHINGTON – Over White House objections, the Senate voted Tuesday for an additional $6 billion for child care for welfare recipients and the working poor as part of a bill to renew the landmark 1996 welfare reform law.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., was among 31 Republicans who supported the increase, which passed 78-20 despite the Bush administration's contention that significant reductions in welfare rolls have freed up money for child care. House Republicans did not include it in the version of the legislation that passed the House last year.

The provision would send states $20.5 billion over 5 years in the form of block grants for programs for children up to 13 years of age. Its authors, Sens. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., said hundreds of thousands of children could lose child care without the extra money, which in turn could force thousands of low-income parents to give up their jobs.

State budget crises already have caused reductions in child care budgets, Dodd said. "Virtually every state has pared back in one way or another their support for child care," Dodd said.
(snip/...)

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20040330-1356-welfare-childcare.html

[mzmolly]

1. Thank goodness. In Minnesota they pretty much gutted this program

and many Moms who enjoyed working, were placed back on welfare roles due to an inability to pay for child care.

[hippiechick]

2. Unfortunately, some of this money is also tied to

promoting MARRIAGE in 'welfare recipient' families.
Don'tcha think that if they wanted to be married, they would be ?

As if spousal and child abuse, family dysfunction, divorce aren't prevalent enough in our society, now we have legislation that practically forces incompatible people together.

Lovely. :eyes:


:hippie: