Chairman Boustany Announces First Hearing in Series on Moving America’s Families ForwardB-318 Rayburn House Office Building at 2:00 PM
Congressman Charles Boustany (R-LA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Human Resources of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing series on moving America’s families forward. The first hearing will focus on Challenges Facing Low-Income Individuals and Families in Today’s Economy. Subsequent hearings are expected to focus on engaging low-income adults in work and training, coordinating benefit programs, reviewing lessons learned in other countries, and using evidence to ensure programs help people in need experience real progress. The hearing will take place immediately following the Human Resources Organizational Meeting at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, February 11, 2015, in room B-318 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
In view of the limited time available to hear from witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only. Witnesses will include experts on how the current labor market affects low-income individuals and families, the nature and dynamics of poverty in recent years, and the shifting structure of households and families in the U.S. However, any individual or organization not scheduled for an oral appearance may submit a written statement for consideration by the Committee for inclusion in the printed record of the hearing. BACKGROUND: While employment growth has resumed, our nation’s economy isn’t working as well as it should to help individuals and families escape poverty and move up the economic ladder. Too many Americans are struggling to find work, and incomes aren’t growing as they should. Poverty rates also remain high, even though the recession ended five and a half years ago. In each year since 2009, one out of five children lived in families with income below the poverty line. Changes in family dynamics and household structure have also had significant impacts on the economic situation of families across the country. Recent surveys have shown that many have even lost confidence in their ability to achieve the American Dream. In announcing the hearing, Chairman Boustany stated, “Even though this is technically the sixth year of the current ‘recovery,’ far too many Americans are struggling to get ahead in today’s economy. With poverty rates stuck at historically high levels and far too many unable to find work, we need to make sure we’re doing all we can to help people get ahead. But before we try to address these problems, we need to make sure we fully understand them. That’s why we’re holding this hearing—to present a full picture of the challenges facing low-income individuals and families today. This hearing will also lay the groundwork for our efforts to fix the problem, providing us with the information we need to help more people find jobs, escape poverty, and move up the economic ladder.” FOCUS OF THE HEARING: This hearing will focus on current labor market trends and their impact on low-income families and individuals, trends in poverty in recent years, how changing family and household dynamics impact economic wellbeing, and how Federal policy may influence these issues. DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS: Please Note: Any person(s) and/or organization(s) wishing to submit written comments 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, http://waysandmeans.house.gov, select “Hearings.” Select the hearing for which you would like to make a submission, 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 Tuesday, February 25, 2015. For questions, or if you encounter technical problems, please call (202) 225-3625 or (202) 225-2610. 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 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 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 submitted in a single document via email, provided in Word format and must not exceed a total of 10 pages. Witnesses and submitters are advised that the Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record. 2. All submissions must include a list of all clients, persons and/or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears. The name, company, address, telephone, and fax numbers of each witness must be included in the body of the email. Please exclude any personal identifiable information in the attached submission. 3. Failure to follow the formatting requirements may result in the exclusion of a submission. All submissions for the record are final. 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 at http://www.waysandmeans.house.gov/. |