Printing, Graphics, & Direct Mail Document Scanning Index Form High Speed Scanning Date of Request: 12/01/14 Box 23 of64 Senator or Department: SENATOR HARKIN Instructions: Prepare one form for insertion at the beginning of each record series. Prepare and insert additional forms at points that you would like to index. For example: at the beginning of a new folder, briefing book, topic, project, or date sequence. Record Type*: Speeches Inclusive Month/Year of 1975-2001 Records*: (1) Subject*: Education Speeches (2) Staffer*: Jim Whitmire IE Maintain (Return to Office) rO Destroy (Shred) *REQURED INFORMAMN III11111111111111111111111111111111 OPENING STATEMENT -September 5, 1996 Good morning everyone, this is Tom. Well, summer's now over. Congress is back in session. And so are schools around Iowa. And that's what I want to begin this morning by talking about--our schools, education, and families. All of us know the importance of parental involvement in contributing to a child's success in school and beyond. We know that if a parent is involved in a child's education, families will be stronger. Students will do better. But today, middle class families are being squeezed. And they aren't just squeezed for money--they're squeezed for time. Parents want to spend more time with their kids and their education--but it isn't always easy balancing the demands of work and family. There just aren't enough hours in the day. Well, we can't add more hours to the day--but we can make it easier for families caught in the squeeze. And that is what a new proposal that I am announcing this morning is designed to do. Today, I am announcing that I will introduce what I call the "Strengthen Families, Strengthen Education Act". My family-focused measure would allow parents to take time off for parent-teacher conferences and other academic-related activities of their children. Parents could get up to 24 hours of unpaid leave for education related activities per year--but not more than 4 hours per month. Employees would be required to give a 7 day notice before taking leave. This 24 hours of academic-related time would fall under the umbrella of the current Family Leave Law that gives workers 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a sick child or spouse. 06 In other words, my initiative does not add anymore leave than what is already covered under current law. I also want to make clear that, like the original Family and Medical Leave Act; small businesses would be fully exempt. Some in Congress said that the Family and Medical Leave Act was a bad idea. They were proven wrong. Families are stronger. So are our businesses--because their workers don't have to worry about the prospect of losing their job simply for caring for their loved ones. 446,000 Iowans are now protected. The plan I announce today builds on that success and our Iowa tradition of putting families and education first. It is modest and practical. It's pro-family, pro-education, and pro-common sense. And I will be working with my colleagues and the President to get it passed. O0Iowa * Press kipf ClIpping Opiion Bureau . 71es Republican shailtown, IA 50158 :Unpaid leave for school activities is not needed all w nirign kip's plan to t :allow workin introduce legislation which would rSEP 8 1996 parent s ake up to 24 hours of unpaid leave per year to attend school activities such as parent-teach .,good idea on paper. er conferences is a "Today, middle class families are being squeezed," Harkin a press release this week. "They aren't just squeezed for moneysaid in- 'Waste Patrol'qf they're squeezed for time. Parents want iloes a lot of good kids and their to spend more time with their education - but it isn't always a Re: "The waste patrol:a waste of mands of work easy balancing the de- and family. There just aren't enough lime?"Aug. 15editorial: loarkin's plan would hours in the day." 1 The editorial was absolutely cor- given parents up to 24 hours for education related activities of unpaid leave C'ect in saying that lowasen.TIwn per year, but not more than per month. It would apply to workers four hours Harkin has fought hard against Secondlary schools. with children in elementary and twaste, fraud and abuse in our It's a great idea - in a perfect world. 'Medicare system. What confused 'me is that the editorial said it would But, the Democratic senator from Iowa is only looking at rbe a waste of time for retired of the coin. What about the employer? one side ing those Who replaces this worker accoLn1tants to help report waste four hours? dur- Fand fraud in Medicare. That misses 'The Family and Medical Leave Act is already on the books. And, the point. it currently protects some 446,000 Iowans. Thousands of Iowans also Patrol" is receive Tom Harkin's "Waste unpaid leave to serve in the National Guard and Reservesa designe(I to bring fraudulent health Harkin appears to be out of touch with his constituents. Republi- care suppliers and Medicare recipi- cans and Democrats alike keep telling us we need less government on ents to justice. People closest to a the state and national levels. i problem usually have the best solu- l Is there really a need for this tions. Instead of a big-government legislation? We think not. lerM has existed, ihere has the If a prob- solution, Tom Harkin is bringing IMarshalltown public outcry been'? responsibility into the has an excellent school personal pr have found system. Teachers traditional- process. the tie to meet with parents to discuss their children's progress. Employers By saying it is impossible to fight generally recognize this waste, fraud and abuse in Niedicarec their workers from taking an active interest in andtheir few children's would preventeduca- tion. with real people. the editorial soav we should all give up and let th This is one piece of legislation we don't need. Why fix something program"Jil go Io put. I a1JpplInd T1,11 if it isn't broken? irkins efforts to prot-s.1 u1nd ill serve Medicare by Ilighting :l.use i: the system. James E. Itugtw - Davenport Harkin wants child creCax credit upPed $60,00X) or $80,000 per year receive the pay for child care progranis for e. W By KEVIN POTTER Whole amount. working oft' welfare across the slate. p11 Courier Staff Writer c Harkin's proposal would make the "That's siunilicanl.' Ilarkin said l WATERLOO tax credit refundable and would it enough? No, and that s whI I The federal cliild care income tax increase the maximuni tax break to we've got to raise the child care I: credit for low- and middle-income fim- $1.200 for families with one child and credit with that too.- ilies should be doubled. U.S. Sen. Tom $2,400 for those with two. The new welfare reform law. hiv\ c Harkin said during a Friday visit to "That's just about double what it is er, offers insuflicient health caie e Waterloo. now," he said. age for people who are working the;' Harkin is proposing a $12.5 billion Under the proposal, families earning way off the public dole. he said. plan to increase the child care tax credit $80,000 or more would continue to "We know that one of the biee - which he said is especially impor- receive the existing $960 maximum tax people to fall off the job and 'et l'ad tant with a new national welfare law credit. on welfare is because a kid gets ;W) that will mean more single mothers Harkin said he would offset the plan's they don't have health care coverae going to work. five-year, $12.5 billion cost by chang- and they've got to go back onto lillk1 "The reason I feel good about doing ing the income tax code for people Medicaid," Ilarkin said. that is because a lot of these mothers working overseas. The original U.S. House version coming off of welfare are going to be Currently, the first $75,000 of those the bill would have ended cligibiliti I working, and they're going to need people's income is exempt from federal Medicaid benefits as soon zis well ai child care," said Harkin, a Cumming income taxes. Harkin would end that, recipients lind work: the Seiate pl i )emocrat seeking a third term in the but give those people a federal tax cred- included a one vear extension. wh+ U.S. Senate. it for the amount of money those over- became a part of the final mor'an He noted that the current child care seas workers pay to foreign govern- approved by Clinton. tax credit has not been adjusted since ments. Harkin said one year of ligi' i 1982. "And even then it was-insuffi- "That raises about $10 billion over won't be long enough. and shouild I cient," he said. five years; it's not insignificant," he said. extended next year by Cong' Under current law, the maximum fed- The other $2.5 billion. Harkin "Mothers with little kids are goin I eral child care tax credit is $960 per explained, would come from the $60 work. a lot of then are going i i year for a family. Lower income work- billion savings resulting from the new working at miniumni-wqge jobs. I crs, however, do not realize that whole federal welfare law passed this year by said.