thank you to other governors and i would also like to thank the penelope howard and janet pharrell foring here. those who of work their way from love for to independence, we're happy and honored to have them here. i would like to thank all of the people who worked on the bill who have been introduced from our staff and cabinet but i would also like to especially thank bruce reed who did a lot with working on the signing to -- working on the final compromises of this bill. i thank him. lillie harden was up here talking and i want to tell you how she happens to be here today. 10 years ago governor kassel and i were asked to cochair a governors task force on welfare reform and we were asked to work together on an and we met at hilton head in south carolina and had a panel. 41 governors showed up to listen to people who were on welfare from several states. so i asked carol rasco to find me somebody from our state who had been in one of our welfare reform programs and who had gone to work. andshe found lillie harden lillie showed up at the program. i would was at this program and i committe

i would also like to thank penelope howard and janet ferrell for coming here. they, too, have worked their way from welfare to independence, and we are honored to have them here. i would like to thank all the people who have worked on this bill who have been introduced from our staff and cabinet, but i would especially like to thank bruce reed, who had a lot to do with working on the final compromises of this bill. i thank him. harden was up there talking, and i want to tell you how she happens to be here today. 10 years ago, governor castle and i were asked to cochair a governor's task force on welfare reform and we were asked to work together on it. when we met at hilton head in south carolina, we had a little panel, and 41 governors showed up to listen to people who were on welfare from several states, so i asked carol rasco to find our state whoom had been in one of our welfare reform programs and had gone to work, and she found lillie lillie showed up at the program. i committed a mistake they always tell lawyers never to do -- never ask a question you do

thank you to other governors and i would also like to thank the penelope howard and janet pharrell for coming here. those who of work their way from love for to independence, we're happy and honored to have them here. i would like to thank all of the people who worked on the bill who have been introduced from our staff and cabinet but i would also like to especially thank bruce reed who did a lot with working on the signing to -- working on the final compromises of this bill. i thank him. lillie harden was up here talking and i want to tell you how she happens to be here today. 10 years ago governor kassel and i were asked to cochair a governors task force on welfare reform and we were asked to work together on an and we met at hilton head in south carolina and had a panel. 41 governors showed up to listen to people who were on welfare from several states. so i asked carol rasco to find me somebody from our state who had been in one of our welfare reform programs and who had gone to work. and she found lillie harden and lillie showed up at the program. i would was at this program and i

[applause] >> now, i would like to ask penelope howard, janet, lili hardin, members of congress thatare here to come up and join me as i sign the welfare reform bill. [inaudible conversations] >> i can't say more than that right now. [inaudible conversations] >> you're kidding. [laughter] [inaudible conversations] [laughter] [applause] [inaudible conversations] >> good job. >> good job. [laughter] [inaudible conversations] >> nearly ten years after the 1996 welfare law passed author and journalists jason wrote the book american dream, at this event from politics and prose bookstore, he tells the stories of families trying to comply with the law's work requirements. this portion of the event is about 25 minutes. >> the book is called american dream and it takes its title from an obscure line in clinton welfare speech in 1993 when he first became president i think he all said too many people grow up and never get a shot at the american dream. the book tries to look at why that is and whether this landmark change in the nation's safety net helped or hurt in the 1990's. it starts in octo