On September 24, the House approved, by voice vote, H.R. 3146, a bill to extend the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193), as well as several tax and trade programs, through March 31, 2004. The House approved a welfare reauthorization bill (H.R. 4) on February 13 (see The Source, 2/14/03), and the Senate Finance Committee approved its version of the bill on September 10 (see The Source, 9/12/03). Since its expiration in September 2002, Congress has approved four extensions of the 1996 law.
During the brief debate on the bill, Rep. Wally Herger (R-CA) explained that the extension was necessary to provide the Senate with more time to approve its reauthorization bill. However, he expressed concern that the continuing delays represented lost opportunities included in the House-passed reauthorization bill. “So long as we continue to extend our Nation’s welfare system on a short-term basis, States cannot take advantage of these additional dollars or improved flexibility. That means low-income families will not see the benefits of the improvements we have proposed for the program.”
Democrats expressed their frustration with the delays, arguing that the House bill was the result of a partisan effort. Rep. Ben Cardin (D-MD) urged: “Yes, let us step up to the plate like we did in 1996. Let us work together in a bipartisan way. Let us be committed to get families not just off of cash assistance, but out of poverty, and if we will sit down and talk together, I am sure in the next 6 months we can come up with a bill we all can be proud of that will be supported by our States.”
