,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #bcf  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,march #ad1         
#bjai,mr4 ,grothman submitted the       
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means  
,,resolution  ,expressing the sense of  
the ,house of ,representatives that     
welfare programs discourage marriage and
 hurt the institution of the family in  
the ,united ,states4  ,whereas the      
,federal ,government funds #abf separate
 programs that have a stated purpose of 
fighting poverty1 #gb of which provide  
either cash or in-kind benefits to      
recipients1 #ag of which are food-aid   
programs1 and over #bj of which are     
housing programs2 ,whereas means-tested 
programs such as child-care vouchers1   
section #h housing choice vouchers1     
,medicaid1 and ,temporary ,assistance   
for ,needy ,families determine          
eligibility and allotment of benefits by
 counting individuals related by blood1 
marriage1 or adoption as members of the 

family unit1 thereby excluding          
non-parent cohabiters' income from      
consideration and discouraging          
cohabiters from marrying for fear of a  
loss of benefits2 ,whereas means-tested 
programs such as the ,supplemental      
,nutrition ,assistance ,program1 the    
,special ,supplemental ,nutrition       
,program for ,women1 ,infants1 and      
,children1 school meals1 and the ,low   
,income ,home ,energy ,assistance       
,program determine eligibility and      
allocation of benefits by counting all  
members living within a household1 which
 discourages single parents from raising
 children in a two-parent home2 ,whereas
 tax credits such as the ,earned ,income
 ,tax ,credit also penalize marriage1 as
 one member of an unmarried couple can  
receive the full benefit when claiming  
the couple's child1 but a married couple
 with the same income may be pushed out 
of the eligibility range for the full   
benefit2 ,whereas ,pell ,grant and      
,federal student loan eligibility and   

allocation is determined through the    
information reported on the ,free       
,application for ,federal ,student ,aid 
7,,fafsa71 including the individual's   
expected family contribution1 which     
discourages marriage for fear that the  
combined income of a married couple     
would result in a smaller financial aid 
award2 ,whereas the combined penalty    
associated with all these programs1     
should a single parent of two choose to 
get married1 can result in a decrease of
 approximately #cj1jjj a year2 ,whereas 
the ,war on ,poverty has promoted this  
decline in marriage by penalizing       
low-income parents who choose to marry  
by reducing their means-tested benefits2
 ,whereas before the start of the failed
 ,war on ,poverty program in #aifd1 only
 seven percent of children in the       
,united ,states were born out of        
wedlock1 a number that now stands at    
over #dj percent2 and ,whereas removing 
one parent1 usually the male1 from his  
or her child can have a harmful effect  

on the child's life3 ,now1 therefore1 be
 it  ,that the ,house of                
,representatives-- 7#a7 recognizes that 
welfare programs discourage marriage and
 hurt the institution of the family in  
the ,united ,states2  7#b7 believes that
 the ,federal ,government should treat  
everyone equally and that it is wrong to
 discriminate against parents who choose
 to get married before having children2 
7#c7 supports action to review any      
,government program1 tax credit1 or     
policy that puts financial penalties on 
married couples as opposed to their     
unmarried peers2 and  7#d7 supports     
action to change benefits or end        
programs in order to eliminate these    
penalties4