CONGRESSIONAL UPDATE
104th Congress (1996)


HR 3734, WELFARE REFORM LEGISLATION (7/26/96)
The Senate recently passed welfare reform legislation that would 
deny federal means-tested benefits, including welfare, Medicaid, 
food stamps, and veterans benefits, to individuals who are 
convicted of a state or federal crime related to drug use, 
possession or distribution.
BACKGROUND: 
After President Clinton vetoed one version of welfare reform last year, 
Congress has been working to develop a proposal that he would sign. The 
House of Representatives passed a version of welfare reform (HR 3734) 
on July 18 which did not include any denial of benefits to people with 
drug related convictions; the Senate finished its work on HR 3734 on 
July 23.

The amendment that was included in the Senate bill, offered by 
Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX), exempts family members and dependents of the 
convicted individual from denial of benefits to which they would 
otherwise be entitled.

A conference committee has begun work to reconcile the differences 
between the two bills.

If you have further questions about this legislation, please contact 
our Public Policy Office via e-mail:   publicpolicy@ncadd.org.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: 
Call the members of the conference committee (listed below) and urge 
them to remove Senator Gramm's amendment from the final bill.  You 
can reach the members by calling the Capitol Hill Switchboard--
202/224-3121--and asking for the member's office.

THE CONFEREES ARE ALREADY AT WORK.  CALLS MUST BE MADE AS SOON 
AS POSSIBLE.

Talking points:

--You oppose the Gramm amendment to the welfare reform bill, HR 3734, 
because denying treatment and other health care benefits to people 
who are addicted to drugs and are convicted of a drug related crime 
is bad public policy.

--The criminal justice system currently sends people to treatment 
rather than incarcerate them.  We know this is effective--California 
recently released a study that showed that for every dollar spent on 
treatment, seven dollars is saved in health care, job productivity.  
Recidivism is also reduced.

--We can also expect other health related problems to arise if this 
amendment is enacted.  Low-income, pregnant women with drug-related 
convictions would lose health care services, including prenatal care, 
which could lead to low birth weight and other health problems for 
their children.


CONFEREES TO HR 3734

House						Senate

Kasich (R-OH)					Domenici (R-NM)
Archer (R-TX)					Nickles (R-OK)
Goodling (R-PA)					Gramm (R-TX)
Roberts (R-KS)					Lugar (R-IN)
Bliley (R-VA)					Helms (R-NC)
Shaw (R-FL)					Cochran (R-MS)
Talent (R-MO)					Santorum (R-PA)
Nussle (R-IA)					Roth (R-DE)
Hutchison (R-AR)				Chafee (R-RI)
McCrery (R-LA)					Grassley (R-IA)
Bilirakis (R-FL)				Hatch (R-UT)
Smith (R-TX)					Simpson (R-WY)
Camp (R-MI)					Kassebaum (R-KS)
Franks (R-CT)					Exon (D-NE)
Cunningham (R-CA)				Hollings (D-SC)
Castle (R-DE)					Leahy (D-VT)
Conyers (D-MI)					Heflin (D-AL)
De La Garza (D-TX)				Harkin (D-IA)
Clay (D-MO)				 	Moynihan (D-NY)
Waxman (D-CA) 					Bradley (D-NJ)
Stenholm (D-TX)					Pryor (D-AR)
Levin (D-MI)					Rockefeller (D-WV)
Tanner (D-TN)					Dodd (D-CT)
Becerra (D-CA)					Sabo (D-MN)
Woolsey (D-CA)					Thurman (D-FL)
Gibbons (D-FL)