“At no time does the caseworker say, ‘Tell me about the guy you’re pregnant by,’ other than to ask whether he’s paying child support.”
The witness testifying next to me was Joe Jones, founder of the Center for Urban Families.
I was in the audience at Johns Hopkins in the fall of 2011 when Joe spoke about the importance of getting the absent father involved with his child and the mother.
Last year, I introduced a bill to create a pilot program that would provide the tools for both parents to achieve success in the home, the workplace, and society at large.
Participants in at least three counties would be required to develop a written family-focused career plan, learn skills that are necessary in the job market, and attend focus groups about employment and financial literacy, economic stability, and building healthy relationships.
That legislation was not enacted. However, I worked with the Appropriations Committee to include language in the budget requesting the Department of Human Resources to seek a federal grant for a pilot program.
The department’s efforts were less than vigorous. I communicated that belief to a DHR official several weeks ago.
Our conversation was productive.
Joe Jones emailed me this morning that he and the Secretary have agreed to establish a workgroup that would review the model in our legislation, updating and refining program outcomes and goals. This afternoon, the Department submitted testimony supporting the bill with amendments.
I think House Bill 333 will get a favorable report from the Appropriations Committee.
