Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 7, 1995 TAG: 9504070063
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The department's review of an application for a waiver that must be approved before the state can implement its welfare reform plan "is going very fast," Walter Broadnax, deputy secretary of the department, said Thursday.
Broadnax could not say how quickly. Serious conversations with the state about plan specifics have not yet begun, he said.
But now that Gov. George Allen has signed the welfare reform legislation into law, "we can engage in discussion about specific concerns that we have," Broadnax said.
Virginia's welfare reform plan has been called one of the strictest in the country. The plan cuts off Aid to Families with Dependent Children benefits after two years and requires recipients to begin working for their benefits within 90 days of receiving aid.
It is tougher than laws in all but two other states: Wisconsin and Massachusetts. Critics have denounced the plan as antifamily and playing politics with the lives of children.
The same concerns exist at the federal level, Broadnax said.
"The concern about the Virginia plan is that it is a bit harsh, particularly as it relates to children," Broadnax said. "This has been a concern for us as we've had our debate with Congress about welfare reform."
Broadnax held a brief news conference at Roanoke Regional Airport on Thursday before heading to Virginia Tech, where he spoke to students about economic revitalization and urban renewal.
"One of the top priorities for the nation when you talk about revitalizing our cities is the focus on our children," he said at the news conference. "For some reason, it is difficult for us to focus on the only way any society can renew itself. That is, by investing in its young."
by CNB