ELCA NEWS SERVICE
July 20, 2006
New Jersey Bishop, Denomination Leaders Address Welfare Reform
06-109-AL*
WASHINGTON, D.C. (ELCA) -- The Rev. E. Roy Riley Jr., bishop
of the New Jersey Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA), Hamilton Square, testified July 19 before the
U.S. House Ways and Means Committee about the outcomes of the
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
(PRWORA) or Welfare Reform Act of 1996.
"The Welfare Reform Act of 1996 marked a fundamental shift
in the way our government addresses anti-poverty spending and
seeks to help the millions of Americans living in poverty," Riley
said. "Our concern (in the ELCA) was then and is now for welfare
reform that truly operates to strengthen American family life and
creates meaningful work opportunities, moving people from poverty
to sustainable livelihood."
During his testimony, Riley presented to the committee a
July 19 letter expressing concerns about the legacy of the act,
signed by the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the ELCA;
the Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, presiding bishop of The
Episcopal Church; the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of
the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); the Rev. John
H. Thomas, general minister and president, United Church of
Christ; and the Rev. Beverly Shamana, bishop and president of the
United Methodist General Board of Church and Society. "Welfare
may have ended as we know it, but poverty in our nation has not,"
said the letter. "The trends of increasing poverty persist,
despite the hopes of those who believed that PRWORA would mark a
new era of poverty reduction in the United States. We are deeply
concerned that this poverty continues to deepen among the poorest
in our nation while the prosperity of those in the highest income
levels continues to grow."
Riley emphasized the plight of the working poor in his
testimony. "It's the working poor that we are feeding in our
soup kitchens -- people, many of whom are working two jobs to try
to make ends meet," he said. "Many families have one or both
parents working two jobs, because of the minimal hourly wage they
earn, most often without health insurance. That's not good for
the family. It's not good for children who need time with their
parents."
Other panelists speaking to the committee included Newt
Gingrich, former Speaker of the House; Senator Rick Santorum, R-
Pa.; former Wisconsin Governor Tommy G. Thompson; Ronald Haskins,
co-director of the Center on Children and Families, Brookings
Institution; June O'Neill, former director of the Congressional
Budget Office; Sharon Parrott, director for the welfare reform
and income support division of the Center on Budget and Policy
Priorities; and Robert Rector, senior research fellow, welfare
and family issues, Heritage Foundation.
Noting that 20 percent of children in the United States live
in poverty, Riley concluded his testimony by saying, "We can end
poverty. We can do this together -- government and faith
communities together. But we must stay focused on the bottom
line -- those children. The gap between the rich and poor grows
wider every year. We must not hide from what is true."
-- -- --
Bishop Riley's testimony is at
http://www.ELCA.org/advocacy/issues/economiclife/06-07-19-
testimony.html and the letter by the five denomination leaders on
welfare reform is at
http://www.ELCA.org/advocacy/issues/economiclife/06-07-19-
letter.html on the Web.
More information about the ELCA's advocacy ministries is at
http://www.ELCA.org/advocacy on the ELCA Web site.
* Annie Lynsen is director for grassroots advocacy and
communication, ELCA Washington Office.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
