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March 8, 2005

The Honorable Charles E. Grassley                  The Honorable Max Baucus
Chairman, Committee on Finance                   Ranking Member, Committee on Finance
United States Senate                                         United States Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510                                 Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Grassley and Senator Baucus:

We are writing to express the support of the National Conference of State Legislatures for the Senate Finance Committee welfare reform reauthorization bill.   We believe that this bill will enable states to continue the progress they have made since 1996 in moving families from welfare to work, and are grateful for the sensitivity you have shown for state concerns.

Thank you for including the provision that allows states that are improving their work participation rates and have a corrective compliance plan to avoid the financial penalties they would otherwise face if they fall short in their efforts to meet the new higher standards in the bill.  We also are grateful for your commitment to additional child care funding, funding that will be necessary to meet the new work requirements in the legislation and support amendments to accomplish this.

State legislators are very focused on work, and the PRIDE Act emphasizes the dignity of work and rewards state efforts in getting more recipients into work.  While it raises the bar for states, the  structure of your bill is state friendly and provides states with flexibility to address the individual needs of families.  The tiered work hours allow for more work effort by recipients to be valued, and the employment credit rewards states that succeed in moving people off the rolls and into the workplace.  The PRIDE Act recognizes that work requirements for families with young children must take into account family responsibilities and program resources.   We appreciate the reduced hours for families with young children and the opportunity to count part-time work.  

Thank you for your leadership on this important issue and your perseverance in forging this legislation through bipartisan negotiations.    If you have any additional questions regarding NCSL’s position, please contact Sheri Steisel in our D.C. office  at sheri.steisel@ncsl.org or call her at (202) 624-8693. 

Sincerely,