Poverty and Welfare By Callie Eastis

History At first, the U.S. used British Poor Laws that made a distinction between people who couldn’t work because of age or physical health and those who were unemployed. In the 1800’s, the government tried coming up with ways to help the poor find work so they would no longer need government assistance. In 1862, the Civil War Pension Program was passed to help Civil War Veterans and their family. During the Great Depression, ¼ of the labor force was unemployed. Because of the drastic financial loss and unemployment, the government stepped in to help. The welfare we know began here…

President Roosevelt created the Social Security Act in Through it’s programs, aid was provided to different segments of the population. Aid to Dependent Children was also enacted by Congress in This program focused on widows, orphans, divorced or deserted mothers, and their kids. President Clinton was elected in 1992 under the promise that he would “end welfare as we know it”. Two years later a Republican Congress was elected that was determined to change the existing system.

Legislative Actions Members of Congress may introduce a bill that interests them or that has been proposed by the executive branch or by their constituents or special interest groups. The bill must pass through both the House and Senate before the president reviews it. The president directly influences some of the legislation. An average of 4% of the legislation passed deals with welfare.

Executive Actions Can move issues onto the legislative agenda by working with members of Congress. If the president’s party holds a majority in Congress, the president has an advantage in agenda setting. The president can veto bills he does not agree with. Article II Section 2 of the Constitution states the president, with the advice and consent of the Senate, can appoint officials that will carry out the laws to run federal agencies. The executive branch can propose a bill to the legislative branch. The president or a state governor engages directly in policy making by issuing executive orders. Executive agencies can issue administrative laws.

Judicial Actions Federal courts can determine whether acts of the legislature or the executive branch of government are constitutional. Appellate courts can set their own agenda, unlike district courts. Supreme Court can grant or deny a petition for certiorari. Courts may apply the common law to develop public policy when a state legislature chooses to avoid controversial issues. The judicial branch has the final say in interpreting the Constitution. In order to overturn the judicial interpretation, a legislative body has to go through a lengthy process of amending the constitution.

The Bureaucracy Welfare is handled primarily by several federal agencies. The most prominent agency is the Department of Health and Human Services. These agencies are responsible for translating requests from Congress and the President into workable programs. Welfare checks, food stamps, and other forms of government assistance flow through the bureaucracy as a result of input from the executive and legislative branches.

Interest Groups They can influence policy by lobbying government. They contact members of Congress and the executive branch to disseminate information about the positive or adverse effects of proposed legislation Through engaging in election activities, interest groups can help get people who support their issues elected. They give money to candidates, endorse candidates or issues, and conduct grassroots activities. They educate the public and government officials. AARP – A Medicare supplement plan that offers greater benefit stability than Medicare itself. Their lobbying efforts helped Congress to pass the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act.

Bill is proposed by Congress introduced March 1965 Introduced in House Introduced in Senate Senate debates passed Referred to Senate committee Ways and Means Committee Referred to Senate committee Health Education, Labor, and Pension House debates passed Goes to president Johnson signed in 1965 House and Senate approve compromise Social Security Act of 1965 Wilbur Cohen pushed the Medicare bill, Johnson gave it high priority based off his Great Society program. Bill was introduced into Congress. } Wanted to create a new version of the bill. Three forms of the bill emerged. When brought back to the Ways and Means committee they suggested combining two of the forms and the committee took on the task of drafting the bill. { In March, a draft was presented to Congress. The bill underwent over 500 amendments before being passed by majority in both House and Senate. The legislation made two amendments: Medicare and Medicaid.

Impact By 1994, Aid to Dependent Children helped 14.2 million recipients. Temporary Assistance to Needy Families required people on welfare to find jobs within 2 years or lose their benefits.  Their incomes remained low, the average person in TANF was making about $686 a month. Because of the Welfare Reform Act, between 1996 and 2002 the number of welfare recipients declined from 12.2 million to 5 million. 33% of adults on welfare were working by the end of 2005.

Current Status 36.5 million Americans (in 2006) still lived below the poverty line. Nearly 11% of American households suffer from “food insecurity” Food Stamps, Medicaid, Social Security, and many other programs are still available.

Change and Improvement Eliminate Dependency Trap  Welfare programs reward people for being poor and it diminishes the incentive to work.  Only real solution is to phase out most welfare benefits Redefining What’s Expected from America’s Poor  They must get a job and unwed teenage mothers must live with a responsible adult.  Used to guide people to responsible, self-reliant lives Devising a Jobs Strategy  There is a shortage of jobs with livable wages and benefits.  As long as many Americans don’t have a good education and the number of good-paying jobs is far smaller than the number of job seekers, millions of Americans will be impoverished.

Works Cited ml ml asp?start=4&search=news&catref=epln497&NC_Catego ry=Not+Selected&ANDkeyword=great+depression&ORk eyword=&TITLEkeyword=&NEGATIVEkeyword= asp?start=4&search=news&catref=epln497&NC_Catego ry=Not+Selected&ANDkeyword=great+depression&ORk eyword=&TITLEkeyword=&NEGATIVEkeyword sec=frontcover&dq=judicial+policy+making+action+with+ poverty+and+welfare&source=bl&ots=NwMxMRR1qv&si g=hJNOQbGAZh2zHGdTzj0r5RiNpJ0&hl=en&ei=wJikTe CIDOiM0QHM9ZjsCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result& resnum=8&ved=0CDEQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false

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