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Date: Tuesday, Feb. 6, 1996 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Michael Kharfen (202) 401-9215
HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala has approved the "Individual Responsibility Project," a statewide welfare demonstration project for Louisiana. Louisiana is the 37th state to receive approval for a welfare waiver under the Clinton administration.
"While Congress claims but fails to offer real welfare reform, the Clinton administration is moving ahead one state at a time," said Secretary Shalala. "The President is keeping his promise to Louisiana and the country to change welfare as we know it."
Under the Individual Responsibility Project, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) recipients are limited to 24 months of benefits within any 60-month period. Extensions to the time limit will be granted in some cases.
To encourage school attendance, children who miss 15 days of school in any six-month period without good cause will be put on probation and have their benefits withheld if they miss more than three days a month thereafter. Benefits can also be withheld when parents do not arrange appropriate immunizations for their children.
"Louisiana's demonstration reflects the Clinton administration's goals of moving people into work quickly and promoting parental responsibility," said Mary Jo Bane, assistant secretary for children and families. "The program has great potential to move welfare recipients to self-sufficiency."
The demonstration will operate for six years beginning July 1996, and include a rigorous evaluation.