(CNSNews.com) - The federal program that awards bonus money to states and territories showing the biggest reductions in illegitimate births would be replaced with a non-competitive program stressing marriage, if the Bush administration's Healthy Marriage Initiative becomes law. Critics of the bill say the government has no business promoting marriage.

Under the current Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, otherwise known as welfare reform and administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), $100 million in bonuses are awarded to the states and territories with the biggest reductions in out-of-wedlock births. President Bush signed a six-month extension of the welfare reform law Wednesday, just ahead of its expiration.

But the new pro-marriage bill would make federally funded grants available to all states and territories for programs that strengthen marriage.

"We think it (the illegitimacy reduction bonus award) has been modestly effective as an incentive to states to try to do something to reduce the number of children born out of wedlock," Dr. Wade Horn, HHS assistant secretary for children and families, told CNSNews.com. "However, we are concerned that as a bonus, it doesn't necessarily provide an incentive for states to invest money in programs that would help strengthen marriages."

The most recent bonuses went to the District of Columbia for its 5.5 percent drop in illegitimate births, the U.S.-owned Virgin Islands for a 2.4 percent decrease, Colorado for a 2 percent reduction, Texas for a 1.9 percent drop, Maryland for a 0.27 percent decrease and Wyoming for its 0.25 percent reduction. The rates were compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics based on data submitted by the states and territories between 1998 and 2001.

In order to receive the awards, the contenders were also required to show a decrease in abortion rates from 1995 to the present. Each state and the District of Columbia received $19.8 million, while the Virgin Islands received $885,000.

"We have suggested in this TANF reauthorization debate that this $100 million bonus be turned into a $100 million demonstration program that would actually provide services to states to innovate in the area of healthy marriages," Horn said.

The House reauthorization bill (H.R. 4) passed Feb. 13 would replace the illegitimacy reduction bonus with healthy marriage promotion grants, providing $100 million annually for FY 2003 through FY 2008 in matching grants to fund marriage promotion and education activities.

The Senate version, the Personal Responsibility and Individual Development for Everyone Act of 2003, passed out of the Finance Committee Sept. 10, is essentially the same. Both versions stipulate that the state marriage education programs be strictly voluntary, with the Senate version adding that a domestic violence prevention specialist be included in any program adopted by the states.

"I...see healthy marriages as having implications for child well-being. Research shows that children born or raised in single-parent families are more at risk for a wide range of social maladies, including poverty, welfare dependency, academic failure and crime," said Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Finance Committee chairman, during the markup of the Senate bill.

"My (bill) would direct $100 million a year for matching grants to states for programs to promote healthy marriages and $100 million a year for research, demonstrations and technical assistance primarily associated with marriage," Grassley added.

A Senate staffer told CNSNews.com the bill would be placed on the Senate calendar Wednesday or Thursday and expected action on the matter at some point during the current congressional session.

"We believe that (Senate Majority) Leader (Bill Frist, R-Tenn.) is committed to doing it, but the fact remains that we just passed another (TANF) extension...and it's not responsible to states and folks served by these programs not to do a comprehensive reauthorization and just keep staggering along," the staffer said.

However, the Healthy Marriage Initiative faces some stiff opposition.

"We feel that there are limited funds around for fighting poverty and that marriage promotion is not a very good way to do it," Sherri Leiwant, senior staff attorney for the National Organization for Women Legal Defense and Education Fund (NOWLDEF), told CNSNews.com.

"Our feeling is that the money could be better used," Leiwant said. "There's just no reason to think that the government should be involved in promoting marriage. It's a private decision."

Leiwant added that the "general consensus" among her allies was that the current TANF program works "pretty well."

Marriage proponents took issue with that position.

Michael Schwartz, vice president for government relations at Concerned Women for America, said NOWLDEF was "about the only constituency that comes right out" in opposition to marriage in general and the Healthy Marriage Initiative.

"But it's very clear that a lot of Democratic senators are approaching this issue with some gingerliness," Schwartz told CNSNews.com. "They're not exactly embracing the idea that promoting marriage is a good thing because, after all, if a lot of people get married, there would be a whole lot less chronic poverty, and then, who would the Democrats say they're speaking up for?"

Schwartz expressed confidence that ultimately, the TANF reauthorization would pass the Senate with marriage provisions intact, a sentiment echoed by Horn.

"At the end of the day, when TANF is reauthorized, we're confident that the president's Healthy Marriage Initiative will be part of that final package," Horn said.

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