Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - July 27, 2006)

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By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. ROCKFELLER, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. BINGAMAN, and Mr. KERRY).

S. 3758. A bill to establish certain requirements relating to the continuation of the Survey of Income and Program Participation; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Mr. REED. Mr. President. I am joined by Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Bingaman, and Mr. Kerry in introducing important legislation regarding the Survey of Income and Program Participation, SIPP. This legislation is also being introduced in the other body by Mrs. Maloney.

The SIPP is the only large-scale longitudinal survey that provides data for evaluating the effectiveness of programs like Social Security, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, food stamps, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, TANF. There is no other survey that provides the richness and detail of the data that the SIPP collects. The survey provides essential information on the extent to which programs meet families' basic needs and promote upward mobility.

Unfortunately, the President, in his fiscal year 2007 budget, proposed the elimination of the SIPP, followed by a redesign that would not be ready until 2009 at the earliest. In the meantime, there would be an irretrievable loss of data.

By eliminating the SIPP, we not only abandon significant research investments by government and private researchers but we would also lose the ability to examine family outcomes over time. Without access to the SIPP's consistent time-series data, we will have to wait years, if not decades, to understand the implications of current policy decisions. Researchers and policymakers would no longer have an accurate dynamic picture of living standards in America.

It is important that we create a process to ensure that we do not lose valuable resources for assessing program effectiveness and economic well-being. As such, our legislation would create a SIPP Commission whose members would be required to review any proposals to change or eliminate the SIPP. This would allow for necessary input from users of the SIPP. The bill would also prevent the administration from unilaterally discontinuing or changing the survey.

Mr. President, this survey helps Congress to make good policy choices and to be good stewards of American tax dollars. Proposals to cut or eliminate this survey need to be taken seriously and considered carefully.

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