GROWL VICTORY: HHS TO HOLD REGIONAL HEARINGS ON WELFARE TOMMY THOMPSON MEETS DEMAND TO HEAR DIRECTLY FROM MOTHERS ON WELFARE Sep 7--When nearly 100 members of Grassroots Organizing for Welfare Leadership (GROWL) descended on the Washington, D.C. offices Tommy Thompson on January 31, 2001 they had a simple message: "Hear Our Voices." The leaders from grassroots welfare rights groups from around the country demanded that the newly confirmed Health and Human Services Secretary hold a series of hearings around the country to learn from parents themselves about how the new welfare laws affected their families and communities. GROWL leaders demanded that Thompson convene these hearings before the reauthorization debate of federal welfare laws begins in 2002. Thompson sent a letter to GROWL a few weeks later denying the request, but the effort moved forward. By late April, the office of Representative Wally Herger, a California Republican who chairs the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources that's leading the welfare reauthorization discussions began receiving thousands of postcards with the same request for hearings. More than 130 groups from across the country participated in this GROWL organized effort, and Herger met immediately with GROWL representatives in his home district in Chico, California. This Wednesday, in a victory for GROWL and its allies, HHS announced that it would hold a series of "listening and discussion sessions" in five cities across the country Atlanta, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, and New York. HHS has scheduled the Atlanta event for September 24 and plans to hold the other meetings throughout the fall. The meetings are being led by Wade Horn, the newly confirmed HHS assistant secretary for children and families who has proposed to discriminate against single parent families within the welfare system. For more information about how you can bring an anti-discrimination and pro-opportunity message for all families to the HHS event in your area, contact Dan HoSang at GROWL at [EMAIL PROTECTED] A complete copy of the HHS press release announcing the forums is included below. HHS PRESS RELEASE--HHS TO HOLD NATIONAL FORUMS WITH STATE LEADERS , RECIPIENTS September 5, 2001 For Release: Immediately Contact: ACF Press Office (202) 401-9215 HHS TO HOLD NATIONAL FORUMS WITH STATE LEADERS, RECIPIENTS AS EARLY STEP TOWARD WELFARE REFORM REAUTHORIZATION HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced a series of national "listening and discussion sessions" to gather insights from those on the front lines of welfare reform to prepare for next year's reauthorization of federal welfare reform legislation. The nation's governors, state legislators, county officials, welfare program directors and welfare recipients will be invited to discuss ways to strengthen the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which was created by the welfare reform legislation enacted in 1996. The sessions will allow Secretary Thompson and other top HHS officials to learn more about states' experiences implementing welfare reforms and running assistance programs. "Welfare reform has been a remarkable success story, resulting in historic reductions in welfare dependency and child poverty, and dramatic gains in employment -- especially among single mothers. Yet, welfare reform has only just begun," Secretary Thompson said. "We must now build on the lessons of the past five years to help more families become self-sufficient in the future." Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., HHS assistant secretary for children and families, will lead the five regional sessions, starting Sept. 24 in Atlanta. Other sessions will be scheduled for this fall in Chicago, Dallas, New York and San Francisco. Horn heads HHS' Administration for Children and Families, which oversees the TANF program. "These sessions will allow us to learn what governors, recipients and others on the front lines of welfare reform see as the best ways to build upon our successes," Horn said. "As we prepare to reauthorize this legislation, we need to pay close attention to what works at the state and local levels to identify strategies to further improve the lives of America's children." These sessions are an initial step by the Bush administration to develop TANF reauthorization legislation. TANF, which was created by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act of 1996, provides $16.5 billion in federal block grant funds to states each year to provide cash assistance to needy families, support their transition to work and self-sufficiency, and promote the formation of two-parent families. The TANF program is currently authorized through fiscal year 2002, and Congress will consider reauthorization of the program next year. An HHS fact sheet on welfare reform implementation is available at http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2001pres/01fswelreform.html. More information about welfare reform is available at http://www.acf.dhhs.gov. ###
