Oct. 7, 2002 – The Human Services Department is $888,500 to the good thanks to a U.S. Health and Human Services Department "bonus" for reducing significantly the number of babies born to unwed mothers in the territory between 1997 and 2000.
This Virgin Islands' rate of decline was the second-highest in the nation.
"Reducing out-of-wedlock births can significantly and positively affect the lives of our children and youth," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. According to a press release from the Health and Human Services Department, the birth rate for unwed mothers in the Virgin Islands fell by 2.6 percent. Only Washington, D.C., achieved a higher rate of decrease, 3.5 percent.
Bonus funds went to states and other jurisdictions that recorded the largest decreases in the ratio of out-of-wedlock births to total births without increasing the abortion rate.
In addition to the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, bonuses also went to Alabama (with a decrease of 0.5 percent), Colorado (0.7 percent), Michigan (0.1.2 percent) and Texas (0.6 percent). Each of the states has been awarded a bonus of about $19.9 million, as has the nation's capital.
The bonus money must be used to support programs that prevent and/or further reduce the number of out-of-wedlock births, according to the release. "We encourage all states to continue to develop programs that will have a positive effect on encouraging marriage and formation of stable families as part of the President's healthy marriage initiative," Thompson said.
Legislation known as "the healthy marriage initiative" is pending before Congress. "It will enable our state partners to continue this important work by emphasizing the importance of marriage first," Wade Horn, assistant Health and Human Services secretary, said.
The bonuses are part of the federal government's Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program that provides support for low-income families.
The federal Welfare Reform Act of 1996 required all states to develop strategies and goals for reducing out-of-wedlock births. Under the law, the annual bonuses are awarded to as many as five states and three territories, if they are deemed eligible.
Human Services Commissioner Sedonie Halbert did not return several calls placed over several days requesting more information about the territory's program.
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