In attendance:

Gina Cornia, Utah Issues
Tim Shultz, Crossroads Urban Center
Sara McCormick, Center for Public Policy and Administration, U of U
Garth Mangum, Department of Economics, U of U (retired)
Terry Feveryear, Salt Lake City Housing Authority
Mary Bissonette, Box Elder Family Support Center
Joyce Dolcourt, Governor's Council for People with Disabilities
Jan Aldrich, Salt Lake County Economic Development
Karen Silver, Salt Lake Community Action Program
Sheila Walsh-McDonald, Salt Lake Community Action Program
Patricia Haskell, Options For Independence (Logan)
Dianne Cunningham, Social Research Institute, U of U
Janice Kimball, Salt Lake County Housing Authority
Tonya Poulter, Davis County Family Connection Center/Community Action
Curt Stewart, Department of Workforce Services
Margarett Richter, International Rescue Committee
Ted Loosli, Disabled Rights Action Committee
Rosalind McGee, Utah Children and Wider Opportunities for Women (WOW) Project
Rich Parks, Salt Lake County Youth Services
Dee Rowland, Catholic Diocese
Joanne Milner, Horizonte Education and Training Center
Robin Arnold-Williams, Department of Human Services
Bill Walsh and Shirley Weathers, Walsh & Weathers Research and Policy Studies (UREAP Staff)

Welcome and Introductions

UREAP meeting participants introduced themselves and noted their interests in and experiences with public policies and programs that have been impacted by 1996 Congressional welfare reform legislation. Shirley Weathers explained that UREAP will maintain a data base of interested parties and member organizations. The primary UREAP communications system will be developed via email and the Internet, but those who are not able to or comfortable with communicating in that way will also be accommodated. UREAP is intended to be a statewide effort, so organizations off the Wasatch Front are encouraged to participate fully.

2002 PRWORA Reauthorization

Shirley Weathers presented some background information on 2002 Reauthorization of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), acknowledging that the issue is so broad that she would only touch on some parts. Congress has until October 2002 to reauthorize certain major parts of PRWORA. As the Act is opened for discussion in Congress in 2001 and 2002, all aspects of it are open for change, even parts of the law that do not need to be reauthorized. This means that reauthorization discussions and debates will cover many and complex issues, including TANF, the Food Stamp Program, child care assistance programs, child support, child welfare, Supplemental Security Income, refugee assistance, American Indian programs, and much more.

In 1996 Congress intended that welfare reform 1) reduce caseloads and, 2) get more people to work. In that they have succeeded. There is great consensus that reauthorization of the Act offers important opportunities to educate and convince Congress to refine goals and redirect efforts so that the next phase of welfare reform can be begun. She pointed out that PRWORA did not have a goal of reducing poverty. Time-limited, work-based welfare has not resulted in uniform results everywhere and for everyone and focus is needed as one size does not fit all. The new welfare system has been found to exacerbate existing problems of discrimination in the workplace. Rural areas lack critical resources people need to overcome employment barriers and solutions to that fact need to be found. Some of these matters can and should be addressed on the local level, but changes in the federal law--the occasion of Reauthorization--are also needed. There is much to be done and much that can be done.

Utah has information to share with the nation and UREAP is designed to help that occur. The history of welfare reform in Utah is rich and has resulted in some unique policies that other states should learn about and, if appropriate, should be included in the new law created during Reauthorization. Utah's TANF program (Family Employment Program or FEP), housing programs, Food Stamp program, and others have developed some positive policies. Shirley said that Utah's Single Parent Employment Demonstration (SPED) program of the 1990's that pioneered numerous welfare system improvements, including Utah's individualized approach to participation and the concept of universal participation. She suggested that these could be coupled to refocus federal performance standards and therefore state program policies in a more positive direction than the current system. Utah-specific research on families with multiple barriers to employment (Social Research Institute, U of U), and the impact of welfare reform on working family income, the charitable sector, county services, and American Indians (Center for Public Policy and Administration, U of U) adds important information to Utah's portfolio.

Utah Reauthorization Project (UREAP)

Bill Walsh discussed UREAP goals and operations, as well as its history, formation, and funding plans. He explained that the idea for UREAP began to percolate many months ago, but he and Shirley saw a need to step forward with the UREAP concept at a recent public policy forum where Reauthorization was discussed. It became clear that, although all in attendance recognized the importance of the Reauthorization process for poor people, the ongoing business of working on welfare reform and supporting individuals, families, and children is already well over a full-time task. UREAP, then, is designed to give Utah an effective voice in this time-limited, congressionally-focused issue without forcing the ongoing work of addressing poverty and meeting other needs to be diluted. He stressed that, across the range of issues of interest relating to welfare reform, UREAP will focus very specifically on the Congressional level . . . on the Reauthorization of PRWORA and solutions that can appropriately accomplished there.

UREAP will meet monthly for the next 18 months. Bill outlined the importance of developing principles as a basis for UREAP. He handed out and read the one-page draft "UREAP Principles of Welfare Reform" that he and Shirley have prepared for participants' consideration. Principles will define UREAP's beliefs and provide boundaries in its work. UREAP will attempt to define common ground positions that will contribute to the PRWORA Reauthorization process. Community-based organizations will make up the UREAP membership, and UREAP will partner with public agency welfare reform stakeholders. UREAP will communicate with national groups and monitor the congressional Reauthorization process. UREAP plans to operate by consensus to reach common ground positions. Bill handed out a "UREAP Membership Form" that noted different levels of membership and involvement. As of April 26, official UREAP members are Salt Lake Community Action Program, Active Re-Entry in Price, and Your Community Connection in Ogden.

Bill then introduced Robin Arnold-Williams, Executive Director of Utah's Department of Human Services, and spoke of her long experience in state and national welfare reform legislation and her involvement in Reauthorization.

Robin Arnold-Williams Presentation

Robin began by describing the 50 state APHSA organization which includes state directors of Human Services, Medicaid, Child Support, Child Welfare, Child Care and TANF services. Robin explained that she chairs the APHSA Policy Committee which is providing testimony to Congress. Their policy document is on the web at www.aphsa.org. She also represents Governor Leavitt on the National Governors Association (NGA) "Welfare Reauthorization Roundtable." NGA's website is www.nga.org.

Numerous program services-which she characterized as the "entire safety net"-must be reauthorized. She noted that 2002 is also an election year. Robin talked about "the deal" made in 1996 over welfare reform. Governors agreed to certain provisions desired by Congress and, in exchange, Congress promised Governors an important set of discussions and possible modifications by the end of the first five years. However, few people currently in key positions to address "the deal" were around when "the deal" was made. This means that Congress will have to be thoroughly educated. There are many think tanks and groups that will be involved in this process. Robin said some key people in Washington will be helpful in putting forward the types of positions that UREAP will be likely to take. Robin said she appreciates the UREAP concept, as it gathers so many parties into one group, and looks forward to working with us.

Robin listed many issues that are being discussed. She said states are being criticized by Congress for not doing more about Teen Pregnancy Reduction and Family Formation, including two-parent family status and that these topics are at the top of many Congresspersons' lists. Congress is looking closely at the $16.7 billion TANF Block Grant and at where it is being spent. She said traditional cash assistance programs are not the top state priority because caseloads are down. Instead, they are looking at supports for working poor people and are anxious to be able to have adequate funding to provide necessary programs. Maintaining funding is critical to meeting family needs. There are additional money issues that are important to Utah and the states. Tribal issues are being talked about. Fatherhood is an issue that is generating legislation. Many believe that work requirements and flexibility need to be driven by outcomes rather than numbers. Robin said that we all need to pay close attention to the issues and policies under discussion and make sure our voices are heard.

Group Discussion

Group discussion raised additional issues.

• Karen Silver and Mary Bissonette volunteered to work with Bill and Shirley on ways to ensure UREAP obtains client views during Reauthorization discussions.
• Roz McGee suggested UREAP examine the work of the Governor's Commission on Families.
• Gina Cornia announced the Utah Issues Conference on May 11; you can register on line www.utahissues.org. Bill and Shirley are presenting an information workshop on Reauthorization.
• Attendees agreed that UREAP will want to establish relationships with state legislators, as well as our national representatives. The vehicle of email allows several state legislators to be offered information easily.
• Sara McCormick noted that the web site for the Center for Public Policy and Administration has Utah-specific welfare reform studies www.cppa.utah.edu/wri.
• The Social Research Institute, www.socwk.utah.edu/sri/index.html and the Department of Workforce Services, www.dws.state.ut.us both have the SRI Study on the impacts of welfare recipients who have left the system.
• Sheila Walsh-MacDonald said that Dale Canning at Salt Lake Community Action Program is willing to assist in the development of a UREAP section at their website www.slcap.org. so that people can access a range of UREAP and Reauthorization resources.

• All future meetings of UREAP in 2001 will be at the Horizonte Education and Training Center, 1234 S. Main Street, Salt Lake City, in Room 540, the Lecture Hall. In May, UREAP will meet on the 29^th, from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Future meetings will be on June 26, July 31, August 28, September 25, October 23, November 27, all from 2:30 - 4:30 p.m.
• Bill and Shirley thanked everyone for attending and handed out a 1 page fact sheet on Reauthorization and UREAP.