Opening Statement of Human Resources Subcommittee Ranking Member Lloyd Doggett

I thank you, Mr. Chairman,thank you for the great personal interest that you've shown in this whole datamatching effort and for the partnership we have enjoyed in working as youmentioned on child welfare legislation, on data matching, and for temporaryassistance for needy families and for unemployment insurance programs. Itis important to improve the administration of public programs throughtechnology. It benefits taxpayers and benefits those who rely on thoseprograms. Abuse of government programs, whether by a multinationalpharmaceutical company or a person collecting unemployment insurance is neveracceptable, it denies the benefits that are needed to others and it unjustlytreats the tax payer.

I hope we can continue tomake progress on standardizing data that that would include incorporatingexisting nonproprietary standards, such as XBRL, has the support of the TexasSociety of Certified Public Accountants. I think that better use of data matchingand data sharing across agencies improves our efforts to reduce fraud andabuse. We want to get these benefits to those who need them and who areeligible for them. And my interest in this is not only about program integritybut in seeing that programs satisfy their legislative purpose.

This is particularly truewhen there are so many families in my home state of Texas, and across thecountry, that struggle to maintain their footing. In Bexar County, forexample, one in four children are poor. We must find a way to ensurethat our most vulnerable citizens are provided with the assistance they need toweather economic storms. And proving the ability to do thisthrough better data is one important aspect of outreach

Those efforts are nowunderway in Philadelphia through a collaboration between the State ofPennsylvania and the Benefits Data Trust, a non-profit organization from whomwe will hear this morning.

The Benefits Data Trust hasbeen able to use State data to determine if an individual who is receivingassistance from certain program is likely eligible for assistance inanother. It is true that there are too many duplicative programs but thetotal benefits provided by all of them if delivered efficiently in the mosteffective way probably do not begin to meet the needs that are out there. Identifying and connecting low-income individuals to the services for whichthey are eligible allows the organization to work in a cost-efficient manner,while also dramatically improving the outcomes of those individuals who are toreceive benefits and our economy in the process.

I think this is particularlyrelevant to the current attention on the delivery of food assistance throughthe SNAP program. A report released recently by the U.S. Department ofAgriculture found that SNAP benefits helped to reduce national poverty in asignificant way. These benefits played an important role in providing criticalassistance that I saw recently in at the food bank in the Westside of SanAntonio.

Mr. Chairman, I look forwardto hearing from today's witnesses and continuing our work together to improvethe outreach, the efficiency, and the effectiveness of these vital publicinitiatives through the use of technology. Thank you somuch.