S-5517               _______________________________________________

                                   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 8446

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                        1990 First Special Session

By Senators Patrick, Murray, Smith, Hayner, Talmadge and Johnson

Read first time 3/21/90.  Under suspension of rules read second and third times and adopted.

WHEREAS, Poverty is a significant problem facing a large portion of Washington's families and children; and

          WHEREAS, Poor families and children will suffer disproportionate social disorders, health problems, and lowered educational achievements because of their impoverishment; and

          WHEREAS, Impoverished families and children will be less likely to compete on an equal footing in school and in Washington's economy; and

          WHEREAS, To be competitive in a national and international economy, Washington's families and children must be given the opportunity to achieve their maximum potential; and

          WHEREAS, "Do no harm" is a central medical imperative.  "Do no harm" is not an imperative in providing social services or welfare assistance; and

          WHEREAS, Social and welfare interventions may focus on a person's deficiencies rather than on his or her strengths and abilities; and

          WHEREAS, Between 1960 and 1985, noncash programs, services, and commodities grew by a disproportionate amount over federal and state cash assistance programs; and

          WHEREAS, Current health, social service, and welfare systems may be creating dependency by providing services and programs that do not encourage personal initiative, creativity, and self-esteem, may provide a disincentive to work, and, in some cases, may actually limit family incomes to below the poverty level; and

          WHEREAS, The Legislature recognizes that effective strategies must be designed and implemented by poor children and families to promote self-sufficiency; and

          WHEREAS, The Washington Roundtable, the Association of Washington Business, other representatives of the business community, advocacy organizations representing low-income persons, and representatives of the church community have indicated their willingness to enter into discussions on long-range approaches to address poverty and misplaced human capital;

          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the Senate of the State of Washington, the House of Representatives concurring, That the Children and Family Services Committee and the Human Services Committee, with the involvement and support of the appropriate standing committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives, conduct an interim study which results in the Legislature receiving direct advice and recommendations from a broad cross-section of the state's poor families and children on issues surrounding poverty, including the effectiveness of health, social service, and welfare interventions such as the standard of need established under RCW 74.04.770 and the current level of grant payments.  In addition, poor families and children shall directly advise and make recommendations to the Legislature on any related executive initiative; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That these committees report the findings and recommendations of the interim study to the legislature at the regular session held in 1991.