Congressman Geoff Davis (R-KY), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on duplication in welfare and related programs under the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction.  The hearing will take place on Tuesday, April 5, 2011, in Room B-318 Rayburn House Office Building, beginning at 2:00 P.M.

In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) and other experts on programs under the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction.  However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee and for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing.

BACKGROUND:

In a March 2011 report to Congress, GAO identified opportunities to reduce duplication in a broad spectrum of government programs. Their report identified 81 separate areas for Congress to review – including 34 areas in which programs and agencies have overlapping goals or provide similar services to the same population, and 47 other areas in which Congress may wish to take action to reduce program costs, among other goals.

As a part of this project, GAO reported that in Fiscal Year 2009 the federal government spent $18 billion operating 47 programs providing employment and training services, spanning nine agencies. GAO determined that 44 of the 47 programs overlapped with at least one other program, providing at least one similar service to a similar population. The report specifically mentioned overlap between the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program under the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction, the Employment Service supported by Federal unemployment funds, and Workforce Investment Act programs, indicating there may be opportunities to streamline the delivery of employment services across those and other programs.  The report noted that overlapping programs may include different eligibility criteria or objectives, or that they may provide similar types of services in different ways.

In addition to the duplication GAO found, there are a number of income-tested programs and tax credits under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means that provide similar income, child care, and child welfare services and supports to individuals with low or modest incomes.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Davis stated, “The Government Accountability Office uncovered a tremendous number of Federal programs that provide overlapping services.  Congress needs to review current programs to see how we can reduce that duplication and deliver better services to those who need them.  This hearing seeks to do just that for welfare and related programs in this Subcommittee’s jurisdiction, so we can ensure that taxpayer funds are well spent, and individuals receive the help they need to become self-reliant as efficiently as possible.”

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

The hearing will focus on overlap among welfare and related programs under the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction, and consider recommendations for reducing such duplication and providing more effective services to low-income families.

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Please Note: Any person(s) and/or organization(s) wishing to submit for the hearing record must follow the appropriate link on the hearing page of the Committee website and complete the informational forms. From the Committee homepage, https://waysandmeans.house.gov, select “Hearings.”  Select the hearing for which you would like to submit, and click on the link entitled, “Click here to provide a submission for the record.”  Once you have followed the online instructions, submit all requested information. ATTACH your submission as a Word document, in compliance with the formatting requirements listed below, by the close of business on April 19, 2011.  Finally, please note that due to the change in House mail policy, the U.S. Capitol Police will refuse sealed-package deliveries to all House Office Buildings. For questions, or if you encounter technical problems, please call (202) 225-1721 or (202) 225-3625.

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:

The Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.  As always, submissions will be included in the record according to the discretion of the Committee.  The Committee will not alter the content of your submission, but we reserve the right to format it according to our guidelines.  Any submission provided to the Committee by a witness, any supplementary materials submitted for the printed record, and any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below.  Any submission or supplementary item not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

1. All submissions and supplementary materials must be provided in Word format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages, including attachments. Witnesses and submitters are advised that the Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.

2. Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing. Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased.  All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

3. All submissions must include a list of all clients, persons and/or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.  A supplemental sheet must accompany each submission listing the name, company, address, telephone, and fax numbers of each witness.

The Committee seeks to make its facilities accessible to persons with disabilities.  If you are in need of special accommodations, please call 202-225-1721 or 202-226-3411 TTD/TTY in advance of the event (four business days notice is requested).  Questions with regard to special accommodation needs in general (including availability of Committee materials in alternative formats) may be directed to the Committee as noted above.

Note: All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.waysandmeans.house.gov/.