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REMARKS BY:     LOUISE W. SULLIVAN, M.D., SECRETARY OF HEALTH
                    AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:          JOBS Press Conference, Washington, D.C. 
DATE:           April 18, 1989

This welfare reform effort grew from the recognition that basic changes were needed in the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, our primary cash assistance program for families in need. Today, 11 million persons are served by AFDC. The great majority of them are single women and their children.

In particular, Americans across the political spectrum are now convinced of the need, not merely to offer financial support, but equally important to help people to lift themselves out of dependency and poverty.

At the heart of the Family Support Act is the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training program. JOBS is a program which will provide many AFDC recipients the opportunity to take part in job training and work activities -- and equally important, will provide these individuals with support services, tailored to their needs, which they require to become self- supporting.

I am pleased to announce that in today's Federal Register, HHS is publishing proposed regulations to implement the JOBS program. These proposed rules lay out the framework for state and local JOBS programs. And I believe that, like the Family Support Act itself, these regulations mark a turning point for our nation's welfare system.

At a time when one in four American children are born into poverty, the JOBS program will be especially important in helping to break the generational cycle of long-term dependency.

Likewise, the regulations we are publishing today follow the course that has been set by President Bush. There is fundamental emphasis here on education ... on investing in our nation's inexhaustible human resources ... on tailoring our programs to accommodate the special needs of each community, and indeed the needs of each individual ... and on maintaining family choice in child care and other services.

Special features of the JOBS program stand out in these proposed regulations:

• JOBS will target resources to those AFDC recipients most at risk for long-term welfare dependency, including never- married teenage mothers who have not completed high school, and those who have been AFDC recipients in 36 of the last 60 months.

• It will emphasize basic education, including literacy and remedial education where needed, training in English as a second language, and high school diploma or the equivalent. These are among the most important tools an individual needs for self-sufficiency, and they must be key components of a JOBS program.

• Likewise, the program provides for vocational training and assistance that will help secure meaningful, permanent employment.

• JOBS will emphasize maximum use of existing resources. This means coordinating services with other existing job training and education programs, as well as business and volunteer organizations. It also means providing for efficient coordination between the federal, state and local governments in program design and administration.

• Finally, the program provides for child care and other support services needed to make JOBS participation possible for the individual. This includes support for the kind of child care chosen by the family.

Congress and the Administration recognized the importance of the JOBS program. And that is why the Family Support Act included a special provision, requiring that proposed regulations to implement JOBS were to be issued within six months of enactment. This was an ambitious timeframe for producing the extensive rules that were needed. The department's Family Support Administration has met that challenge. I thank and congratulate the FSA staff -- and I assure you that the implementation of the Family Support Act will remain high on the HHS agenda.

As Secretary of HHS, I consider it a top personal priority to see that we offer hope and opportunity to those who need it most. I want our assistance programs to offer recipients a new prospect on their own futures, and on their own power to create their futures.

We expect some $3.3 billion in federal spending over the next five years as a result of the JOBS programs. To me, this spending represents a good investment for America -- an investment in the energies and talents, and indeed the hopes and dreams, of those whose lives will be touched by the JOBS program.

It is for that reason that I urge governors and state legislators to move forward in putting qualified JOBS programs into effect. Under the law, state programs are not required to be in place until October 1, 1990. However, qualified programs can be implemented as early as July 1.

Most states already have some kind of work program in place. But in most cases, the states will need to expand or revise their existing programs, or create new ones, to meet the requirements of the JOBS provisions.

The Family Support Administration has already provided guidance to states on the changes that will be needed. We will continue to work closely with states to develop sound and effective programs. Likewise, HHS will give high priority to each of the subsequent regulations needed to fully implement the Family Support Act.

I urge states to move quickly and responsibly. Together, we can offer more to our AFDC recipients than just financial support. Indeed, we can offer more than just a job. We can offer opportunity, responsibility, and empowerment. And not just for one generation, but for many.

Now, I would like to ask Catherine Bertini, acting Assistant Secretary of the Family Support Administration, to provide details of the proposed regulation we have published today ...