Welfare Reform Bill

March 30, 2004

[WELFARE REFORM BILL]

Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I would like to commend the Senator from Maine, Ms. Snowe, on the passage of her amendment to increase the mandatory funding levels for the Child Care and Development Fund by $6 billion over 5 years. I enthusiastically support this amendment, as it is designed to help so many families with young children by ensuring that those children are properly cared for while their parents are at work.

Unfortunately, we know that more than 10 million children in the United States are left unsupervised after school on a regular basis. We know that the welfare rolls have been cut nearly 60 percent since 1996, and therefore, this statistic will only continue to grow as more and more parents work. Further, with cuts in State childcare funding, many working families are faced with no care for their children due to waiting lists and higher childcare costs.

But, with the passage of this amendment, my home State of Ohio alone would receive over $34 million in additional childcare funds next fiscal year and more than $266 million over the next 5 years. This translates into more children receiving care and more parents with the peace of mind that their children are being properly attended to while they cannot be at home.

Again, I commend Senator Snowe for her leadership on this issue.
Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, we are in discussion now determining the best pathway to completion on the underlying bill, the welfare bill, an important bill that I know both sides of the aisle do want to appropriately address, through amendments and through the debate process, and we are working on the best way to accomplish that.

As I set out really 3 weeks ago, but in the early part of last week, we have set this week aside to address welfare and we are doing just that. But I really need to do everything possible to see that we do complete it this weekend. To help accomplish that, I will be sending a cloture motion to the desk on the pending committee substitute.
CLOTURE MOTION
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The cloture motion having been presented under rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
CLOTURE MOTION
We the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the substitute amendment to Calendar No. 305, H.R. 4, an act to reauthorize and improve the program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families, improve access to quality child care, and for other purposes.
Bill Frist, Charles E. Grassley, John E. Sununu, Conrad Burns, Lamar Alexander, Peter G. Fitzgerald, Larry E. Craig, John Cornyn, Robert F. Bennett, John Ensign, Orrin G. Hatch, Mike Enzi, Mitch McConnell, Ted Stevens, Norm Coleman, James M. Inhofe, Kay Bailey Hutchison.
Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent the quorum under rule XXII be waived.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.