PRESIDENT CLINTON'S BUDGET PROPOSAL FOR NEW FUNDING
FOR CHILD WELFARE SERVICES TARGETED FOR FAMILY SUP-
PORT AND PRESERVATION SERVICES.
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS
FIRST EDITION
APRIL 21, 1993
STATEMENT OF HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY, A REPRESENTA-
TIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK
Mrs. MALONEY. Thank you. I am delighted to see you back.
Chairman FORD. It is good to be back.
Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Chairman, I am delighted to be here today
to testify on President Clinton's budget proposal to provide new
funding for child welfare services. And I am encouraged, Mr. Chair-
man, that the President is seeking to help States and cities cope
with the escalating crisis in child welfare.
Simply put, President Clinton's proposal seeks to preserve and
protect our most precious resource, the American family.
In New York City, that I am proud to represent in this Congress,
the American family is under siege. During the past 10 years,
crack addiction, coupled with the AIDS epidemic and the upsurge
in homelessness, has destroyed thousands of families and forced
tens of thousands of children into foster care.
Federal cutbacks to our major cities -- including aid for Federal
housing -- have made matters worse for many families. New York
City has seen a 63-percent cut in Federal aid during the past dec-
ade.
As a result of these factors, the number of New York City chil-
dren in foster care has tripled in 6 years, from 17,000 to 54,000.
It is a staggering number. The city is now spending $1 billion a
25
year on foster care. Less than half of it is eligible for Federal reim-
bursement.
New York City has the largest human service delivery system in
the country, and every day, every hour, the calamity continues. In
New York City, a child is reported neglected or abused every 13
minutes. Between the start of this hearing and lunch time, a dozen
New York City children will be reported at serious risk.
As a mother of two young daughters, I shudder when I think of
the lives of these children, especially children abandoned as a re-
sult of parental drug abuse.
Mr. Chairman, when I ran for Congress last fall, I shared the
President's commitment to help children escape this terrible cycle
of poverty, drug abuse, and child neglect. Like many Americans, I
was heartened when the President offered a number of innovative
ideas to create new support programs for parents and children.
President Clinton is the first President in 12 years to seek a fun-
damental change in the way we approach child welfare services.
This proposal sets a new direction for our States and cities and of-
fers hope for millions of impoverished families in America.
The President has proposed a new capped entitlement program
to promote cost-effective family support services, so that troubled
families can get help before they begin to disintegrate. Over the
next 5 years, the proposal would provide $1.7 billion to set up these
programs, including over $85 million for New York State.
Money alone will not solve the child welfare crisis in this coun-
try. Policies and practices cry out for review and reform. Social
workers and child abuse investigators need to be better trained and
better supervised. We also need to place a stronger emphasis on
finding the best possible placement for children.
Right now, in New York City, 20 percent of our foster care chil-
dren are on the adoption track, but only 2 percent a year are actu-
ally placed for adoption.
In addition, I urge my colleagues to be aware that now, more
than ever, the American people are demanding that they get what
they pay for. If we pass this legislation to help preserve American
families, we need to make sure that cities and States distribute
these funds directly to who is providing these services and where
it is most needed, and not use these funds to replace State funding
for programs that already are in place, which has happened many
times in New York City.
As a former member of the New York City Council, I am aware
that such budget juggling goes on all the time and it cannot be al-
lowed to continue. I want to work with this panel in developing
language to ensure a direct passthrough of funds to communities
or cities that are delivering the services.
In New York City, although city officials will not discuss this
publicly, none of the IV -- B money reached the child welfare system.
In addition, many of our education targeted dollars do not get to
the city.
Most recently, a day care advocate group issued a report stating
that, of the $54 million slated for day care slots in New York City,
it resulted in an additional slotting of only 212 slots for children.
Mr. Chairman, before concluding, I would like to say a few words
on behalf of my bill, the Standby Guardianship Act, which has been
26
referred to your subcommittee, and which is an example of improv-
ing the existing system without costing the taxpayers any money.
H.R. 1354 addresses the needs of a growing number of children
left motherless by AIDS and offers a cost-effective compassionate
way to help prevent these children from entering foster care. It is
an example of how we can improve the system, without spending
a dime.
Before the end of the decade, an estimated 80,000 to 125,000
children nationwide will lose their mothers to AIDS. The AIDS cri-
sis is so new and its potential impact on the next generation so
enormous, that many States simply have not had the opportunity
to change their laws to accommodate the needs of this growing pop-
ulation of AIDS orphans. As a result, in most States, chronically
ill parents, including single mothers with AIDS, find it virtually
impossible to resolve custody issues involving their children prior
to death.
State courts often determine the custody of children, without any
direction from the deceased parent. In other cases, State judges
overrule parental wishes expressed in wills. So instead of having
the comfort of knowing in advance where they will live following
the death of their mothers, many of these AIDS orphans end up in
legal limbo, waiting months for the courts to determine custody.
H.R. 1354 would require States to amend court procedures and
close legal gaps, so that chronically ill parents could choose standby
guardians for their children prior to death and keep them out of
the uncertainty of foster care. The bill would help reduce the need
for foster care, award peace of mind to desperate parents, and help
children by settling custody issues as early as possible.
New York State already has passed such a bill. Other States, in-
cluding Illinois, Maryland, and the District of Columbia are consid-
ering legislation. My bill represents a wakeup call for every State
to consider such legislation.
My bill would require no additional Federal funding. It is de-
signed to be folded into the Family Preservation Act as an amend-
ment to title IV of the Social Security Act. I hope you will give it
your serious consideration.
Mr. Chairman, I commend you and this panel for your efforts on
behalf of the children of this Nation. I know you share my sense
of urgency to save America's children.