National welfare reform advocates to testify before Senate Majority Policy Committee

HARRISBURG – The Senate Majority Policy Committee will host a two-part briefing next month on welfare reform efforts, both past and present, according to Senator David G. Argall (R-Schuylkill/Berks).

Argall, who chairs the committee, said it’s an opportunity to learn from experts on state and federal policies that lead to both positive outcomes for government assistance recipients and savings to taxpayers.

“Every single day, we hear complaints about our human services and welfare programs,” Argall said. “Taxpayers are very upset when they learn of waste and abuse in these important programs which are designed to help people in need, not to promote fraud.  These briefings will provide an opportunity for us to review successful state and national efforts to strengthen our social assistance programs to ensure those in need receive the help they deserve and reduce the abuse of the system.”

The first briefing will be held on Tuesday, June 5 at 10 a.m. in Hearing Room No. 1 of the North Office Building. It will feature Sam Adolphsen, a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Government Accountability and Vice President of Rockwood Solutions. He served as Chief Operating Officer at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). In Maine, Adolphsen was responsible for welfare eligibility and fraud detection programs as well as oversight over the state’s Medicaid budget.

The second briefing will be held on Tuesday, June 12 at 9 a.m. in Room 8E-A of the East Wing. The briefing will feature Ron Haskins, a Senior Fellow and Cabot Family Chair in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution. Haskins served in various roles in the federal government including 14 years with the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, as a senior advisor to President George W. Bush for welfare policy, and was appointed by Speaker Paul Ryan to co-chair the Evidence-Based Policymaking Commission. He also co-authored “Work over Welfare: The Inside Story of the 1996 Welfare Reform Law.”

More information about the briefings can be found on the Senate Majority Policy Committee’s website at policy.pasenategop.com or at www.SenatorArgall.com.  

Back to Top