August 6, 1992 THE PRESIDENT'S MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN FAMILIES Economic Security: o $500 i

August 6, 1992


         THE PRESIDENT'S MEASURES TO STRENGTHEN FAMILIES

Economic Security:  
o    $500 increase in the per child tax exemption.
o    penalty-free IRA withdrawals for first-time homebuyers. 
o    $5,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers.
o    Low interest rates, saving families on average over a $1000
     per year in mortgage payments.
o    Landmark Child Care Act that preserves parents choice of child
     care, in contrast to Democrats who wanted to impose government
     licensing on care-givers, from friends and relatives to
     churches and synagogues. The bill also included $31 billion in
     tax credits and lower tax payments to help low-income families
     afford child care.

Planning for the Future:
o    permit deduction of interest on student loans
o    increasing, by more than $500 million, the amount of money
     available through Pell Grants for middle income families.
o    HOPE initiative to encourage home ownership and responsibility

Requiring Parental Responsibility:
o    Child Support Enforcement:  In 1991 the federal government
     recovered $6.9 billion in child support payments, more than
     double what the government recovered in 1986.  About $2
     billion of the 1991 total went to families receiving welfare.
o    Increasing the Value of Work:  Allowing families on welfare to
     save more before becoming ineligible for welfare to increase
     the chance that they will stay off welfare permanently.  

Strengthening Traditional Family Values
o    School Choice -- choice for public, private, or religious
     schools -- so that parents can hold schools accountable for
     results, and can choose to send their children to schools that
     emphasize instruction in values.
o    Supports reasonable restrictions on abortions, for example
     parental consent for minors and waiting periods.  Opposes
     federal legislation to prevent states from passing some
     reasonable restrictions on abortion.
o    Supports voluntary school prayer
o    Aggressive prosecution of "kiddie porn."

Family Security:  Law and Order
o    Appointed 228 tough, law & order judges and prosecutors to
     keep criminals behind bars.
o    Assigned 2,400 FBI agents to bust violent criminals and street
     gangs.
o    "Weed & Seed" Initiative to reclaim embattled neighborhoods.