Name That Deadbeat Dad

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Toughening up his approach to welfare reform, President Clinton signed an executive order requiring all mothers applying for welfare to provide the name and location of their children's father before receiving any government support. "We're not going to just let you walk away from your children and stick the taxpayers with the tab," Clinton said. Exceptions will be granted to women with legitimate reasons for withholding the father's name, such as fear of abuse, Clinton told the American Nurses Association. The idea is not new. "This reform has been proposed in every welfare bill," reports Jef McAllister, "including the most recent legislation vetoed by the President. Clinton is backing an idea that he knows is popular to show he cares about welfare reform." Noting that his Administration intends to "make responsibility a way of life, not an option," Clinton also announced a plan to establish a national database of deadbeat parents that companies can check to determine if job applicants owe child support. -->