
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 12, 1994                   TAG: 9404120134
SECTION: NATL/INTL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

BILL PROPOSES WELFARE CONTRACT

Families seeking welfare would have to sign a contract that specified when benefits would stop under a proposed bipartisan welfare-reform bill.

Sens. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said Monday their "Welfare to Self-Sufficiency Act" is modeled after successful reform programs in their home states.

"The welfare system should help people get back on their feet and into decent jobs in the private sector so they can help themselves," Bond said.

The centerpiece of their bill is a contract between states and families outlining exactly how and when benefits would end. Most reform initiatives, including drafts of President Clinton's plan, would stop benefits after two years.

Failure to comply with the contract would terminate benefits for families. If the state didn't meet its end of the bargain in terms of job training or providing child care, the contract could be nullified, and the family wouldn't lose any benefits.

by CNB