In 1996, Congress passed a major overhaul of the welfare program, replacing it with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The goal was to get people off welfare and into the workforce. This year, Congress must reauthorize this program, and, as we do this, it's important to take a close look at what has worked and what needs to be improved.

    In 1996, I voted for welfare reform because I believed the old system was badly broken, and we needed to end the cycle of dependency that had trapped so many Americans. Since then, welfare reform, by emphasizing personal responsibility, and with the benefit of a strong and growing economy, has succeeded in reducing the number of people on welfare from 12.2 million to 5.3 million.

    At the same time, while we have succeeded in moving people off welfare, we have not had the same success in helping people escape poverty. In close examination of what has happened since reform, one out of every six children in the nation still lives in poverty, a clear indication that poverty rates have not declined to the same degree as welfare rolls.

     As the leading Democrat on the subcommittee that will consider reauthorization of TANF, it's time to turn our attention to how we can help these former welfare recipients escape poverty.

    We also need to remember that the strong economic growth of the late 1990s was an important factor in helping many welfare recipients find jobs. Now that the economy has slowed down, we need to consider what happens to these families when jobs are harder to find.

    Recently, I joined other members of the Human Resources Subcommittee in introducing The Next Step in Reforming Welfare Act. This measure preserves the original goal of personal responsibility while emphasizing the importance of reducing poverty through work.

    It also maintains the federal commitment to States by updating the TANF block grant to compensate for inflation and by dramatically increasing funds for child care so that more families can go to work. In addition, it continues existing bonuses for high-performing States and restores full funding to the Social Services Block Grant, which has been cut by more than a billion dollars since 1996. At the same time, it encourages family formation and responsible parenting. It also will require increased information about State TANF programs and about the status of those who have left welfare.

    The next step in welfare reform involves not only getting former recipients into the workforce, but making that transition from welfare to work a permanent and successful one. To do that, we need to create a springboard that will propel these families out of poverty and help them climb the economic ladder of success.