Human Services and Welfare Committee

Human Services and Welfare Committee

Human Services - 2/26/03 letter sent to U.S. Senate urging support for the CARE Act of 2003 (S. 272)
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February 26, 2003

The Honorable Daniel Akaka
United States Senate
Washington, District of Columbia 20510-1103

Dear Senator Akaka:

On behalf of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), we urge you to adopt the CARE Act of 2003" (S. 272). The CARE Act will enhance the role of faith-based and community based organizations in the delivery of social services and provide much needed technical guidance and assistance to states without compromising the states' role in the implementation of social services to people in need. The CARE Act reflects a thoughtful and harmonized approach to the inclusion of faith-based organizations in providing services at the state level. NCSL could not support the approach adopted by the House last year.

It is laudable that the legislation increases funding for the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). The SSBG is an essential source of funds for community and home-based services to the most vulnerable segments of our society including the disabled, elderly and children. We cannot expand the role of faith-based and community programs without increasing the funds available for these programs. We support the Individual Development Account provisions, as such accounts are an important tool to promote self-sufficiency that will complement state efforts to reform welfare.

We are especially pleased to see that the CARE Act provides funding to states for seed money and for technical assistance to the states to support administering the provisions of the bill. Another essential provision for NCSL was the assurance that all disputes with a state will be resolved in state court. These provisions were not present in the original approach in the House and were of the utmost concern to NCSL. Senators' Santorum and Lieberman willingness to work with NCSL to resolve our outstanding issues is greatly appreciated.

We support the CARE act and urge you to vote for it. We hope that the House will accept the Senate bill as the vehicle for enacting the President's Faith-Based Initiative. Any departure from the language contained in the CARE Act would be incompatible with traditional notions of state sovereignty. This would preclude NCSL from supporting this measure. We will continue working with you toward enactment of S.272. For further information about NCSL's position, please contact Sheri Steisel, Federal Affairs Counsel and Director, Human Services Committee or Susan Parnas Frederick, Director, Law and Criminal Justice Committee in NCSL's Washington, DC Office at 202/624-5400.

Sincerely,

Senator Angela Monson
Oklahoma State Senate
President, NCSL

Representative Martin R. Stephens
Speaker of the House Utah
President-elect, NCSL

cc: Senator Santorum
Senator Lieberman