In 1996, President Clinton signed into law the The
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996
(P.L. 104-193), a welfare reform plan that requires work in exchange for time-limited assistance. A new system of block grants to states for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was created, changing the nature and provision of welfare benefits in America. Moving people from welfare into work is now one of the primary goals of federal welfare policy. The Balanced
Budget Act of 1997, signed by President Clinton in 1997 helps to achieve that goal by authorizing the U.
S.
Department of Labor to provide $2 billion annually in Welfare-to-Work grants to states and local communities to create additional job opportunities for the hardest-to-employ recipients of TANF.
Low basic skills are among the most common barriers to employment for TANF clients. Research has shown that recipients with work barriers are less likely to find jobs, have lower earnings on average, and are more likely to lose assistance because of a sanction for program noncompliance than families without barriers.
The law that created TANF expires on September 30, 2002. Congress is currently considering legislation to reauthorize the program, which will set the nation's welfare policies for the next five years. Congress is also considering some modifications to the rules and funding of the TANF program, including the rules that apply to adult education and training opportunities.
Welfare Legislation
-
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996,
Public Law 104-193 Text
of the Law
Key Resources for Reauthorization
Key Resources
NIFL Policy Updates
Links for More Information
-
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities specializes in research and analysis oriented toward policy decisions that policymakers face at both federal and state levels. The Center has developed a special report series on TANF reauthorization.
-
Center
for Law and Social Policy. A national non-profit organization which
seeks to improve the economic conditions of low income families through
education, policy research and advocacy.
-
The Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that develops and evaluates innovative approaches to moving people from welfare to work and improving education for at-risk youth.
-
National Center for Family
Literacy. A non-profit organization supporting family literacy services
for families through programming, training, research, advocacy and dissemination.
-
National Governor's Association. A bipartisan national organization of, by,
and for the nations' Governors.
-
Welfare Information Network.
A clearinghouse for information, policy analysis and technical assistance
on welfare reform.
-
The Urban Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research and educational organization established to examine the social, economic, and governance problems facing the nation. It provides information and analysis to public and private decision makers to help them address these challenges and strives to raise citizen understanding of these issues and tradeoffs in policy making.
Which members of Congress have jurisdiction over welfare reform
and welfare-to-work policy?
Your ideas and comments for this
page
|