§ Â 501. Legislative intent.

It is declared to be the legislative intent that the purpose of this chapter is to promote the welfare and happiness of all of the people of this State by providing public assistance to all of its eligible needy, unemployable and distressed, that assistance shall be administered promptly and humanely with due regard for the preservation of family life and without discrimination on account of race, religion or political affiliation and that assistance shall be administered in such a way and manner as to encourage self-respect, self-dependency and the desire to be a good citizen and useful to society. It is further declared to be the legislative intent that public assistance be administered, to the extent practicable, in such a way that: private sector work is more economically attractive than public assistance; public assistance recipients exercise personal responsibility in exchange for government assistance; public assistance is transitional, not a way of life, for recipients; both parents are held responsible for supporting and parenting their children; recipients are not encouraged to have additional children while receiving public assistance; and the formation and maintenance of two-parent families is encouraged and teenage pregnancy is discouraged.