Welfare Reform/TANF Archive
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Podcast: The Safety Net’s Response to the Recession
October 8, 2009
Director of the Center’s Welfare Reform and Income Support Division, Dr. LaDonna Pavetti, testifies on the safety net's response to the recession before the U.S. House of Representative's Ways and Means Subcommittee on Income Security and Family.
Duration: 10:55
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Testimony: LaDonna Pavetti, Director of Welfare Reform and Income Support, on the Safety Net’s Response to the Recession
October 8, 2009
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My testimony will focus on four points: With recent Census data showing increases in poverty and declines in incomes even before Americans began experiencing the worst effects of the recession — and with further deterioration expected in both areas — policymakers face a … -
Opportunities under the TANF Emergency Fund Created By the Federal Recovery Act
July 29, 2009
The TANF provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 create a new and temporary TANF Emergency Fund available to states, territories, and tribes for federal fiscal years 2009 and 2010.[1] States can receive additional funding through the TANF Emergency Fund for increased expenditures in basic assistance, … -
Online Information About Key Low-Income Benefit Programs
Revised April 27, 2009
Virtually all states have made information regarding the five main state-administered low-income benefit programs — food stamps, Medicaid, SCHIP, TANF and child care — available to the public via the internet. There is significant variation between what online information is provided … -
Policy Basics: An Introduction to TANF
Revised March 19, 2009
What Is TANF? Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a block grant created by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, as part of a federal effort to “end welfare as we know it.” The TANF block grant replaced the Aid to Families with … -
Overview of the TANF Provisions in the Economic Recovery Act
February 26, 2009
The TANF provisions in section 2101 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 create a new Emergency Contingency Fund under which states can receive 80 percent federal funding for increases (relative to a base year quarter) in certain TANF-related expenditures in federal fiscal years … -
Despite Critics' Over-Heated Rhetoric, the Economic Recovery Bill Does Not Undermine Welfare Reform
February 17, 2009
The economic recovery legislation provides additional resources to states where more poor families need basic assistance due to the recession and the states have responded by serving more families in their TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) programs. TANF is the welfare-reform block grant that the 1996 welfare law established to replace … -
Designing Solely State-Funded Programs
Revised January 8, 2009
In the wake of federal TANF changes, states face key choices as they decide the next direction for their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. In early 2006, Congress enacted changes to TANF in the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) that effectively increase the proportion of assistance recipients that states must have … -
TANF Benefits Are Low and Have Not Kept Pace with Inflation
November 24, 2008
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Using TANF or MOE Funds to Provide Supplemental Assistance to Low-Income Working Families
Updated September 8, 2008
As states revisit their welfare reform approaches in the wake of the TANF changes in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), a number of states have implemented or are considering policies that expand support to low-income working families, particularly those transitioning into employment and off of basic TANF assistance programs. In most states, families lose eligibility for TANF cash … -
Summary of Final TANF Rules
February 20, 2008
The final TANF rule implementing changes due to the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 was published in the Federal Register on February 5, 2008 at 73 Fed. Reg. 6772. The new rule finalizes, with some changes, the Interim Final Rule published on June 29, 2006. The Final Rule is effective October 1, 2008. The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) provided HHS with broad new … -
Changes in Federal TANF Rules Could Help States Meet Welfare Reform Goals
June 29, 2007
The Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), enacted in early 2006, reauthorized the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. The effect of the DRA is to significantly increase the proportion of TANF recipients that states would be required to engage in a specified set of work activities for a federally-prescribed number of hours each week. The law also grants broad new … -
Georgia’s Increased TANF Work Participation Rate is Driven by Sharp Caseload Decline
March 6, 2007
Overview Georgia’s success at increasing its TANF work participation rate has been touted as a welfare reform model for other states as they seek ways to meet the new work participation requirements associated with the Deficit Reduction Act changes to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. An examination of available data on Georgia’s TANF program and … -
The New TANF Requirements and Individuals with Disabilities
March 1, 2007
The TANF provisions of the Deficit Reduction Act increase the effective TANF work participation rate — a measure of the proportion of TANF recipients engaged in federally countable work activities for a prescribed number of hours each week — states will be required to meet. States failing to meet these new standards are subject to … -
Implementing the TANF Changes in the Deficit Reduction Act
February 9, 2007
In the coming months, states will face key choices as they decide the next direction for their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. After a lengthy and contentious reauthorization process, Congress enacted changes to TANF in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) that substantially increase the proportion of assistance recipients who must … -
TANF at 10
August 17, 2006
The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) established the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. Under TANF, states received fixed block grants and had broad flexibility to design their own rules for their cash assistance programs, and broad authority to use the block grant resources for other programs outside of cash assistance to assist … -
Analysis of New Interim Final TANF Rules
July 21, 2006
Introduction On June 29, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued regulations regarding the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. These regulations define the activities that are countable toward the work participation rate requirements, describe how the states must monitor and verify the hours that TANF recipients participate, and add some categories of … -
Georgia’s Increased TANF Work Participation Rate is Driven by Sharp Caseload Decline-REDIRECT
July 17, 2006
This report has been updated. You will be redirected now. http://www.cbpp.org/3-6-07tanf.htm -
CBPP Statement on the New TANF Regulations Issued Today by the Department of Health and Human Services
June 28, 2006
Today the Department of Health and Human Services issued new regulations related to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. These new regulations are intended to provide specifics to states about how they will be measured against the new requirements placed on … -
Despite Inclusion of “Marriage-Promotion” Funding, Budget Bill Would Penalize States That Provide TANF Assistance to Poor Married Families
January 31, 2006
In December, the House and Senate each passed slightly different versions of the budget reconciliation conference agreement.[1] The bills include a set of provisions related to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, including significant changes in the work requirements that states and families must meet. These changes differ significantly from previous versions of TANF … -
Summary of TANF Work Participation Provisions in the Budget Reconciliation Bill
January 18, 2006
The budget reconciliation bill includes a set of provisions related to TANF and federal child care funding, including changes to TANF work participation rules.[1] This document provides a brief summary and a more detailed explanation of each change. In brief: Effective October 1, 2006, each state would be required to meet a 50 percent participation rate for all families … -
House Budget Reconciliation Bill Includes Highly Flawed TANF Provisions That Have Repeatedly Failed To Garner Support
Revised November 30, 2005
The budget reconciliation bill that the House passed on November 18, H.R. 4241, includes a set of controversial provisions related to the reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant and the child care block grant. The TANF and child care provisions in the House bill would impose … -
A Brief Guide to TANF Reauthorization Issues in 2005
Revised November 29, 2005
Congress has been debating reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and changes to related programs, including child care and child support, since the program first came up for renewal in 2002. In March of this year, the Senate Finance Committee passed reauthorization legislation (S. 667) … -
House Reconciliation Bill Targets Key Low-Income Programs in Ways and Means Committee's Jurisdiction
October 25, 2005
The House of Representatives narrowly passed a budget “reconciliation” bill (H.R. 4241) on November 17 that included a package of cuts approved by the Ways and Means Committee on October 26. The budget resolution that passed in April required the Ways and Means Committee to cut programs under its jurisdiction by $1 billion over the next … -
Public Benefits: Easing Poverty and Ensuring Medical Coverage
Revised August 17, 2005
When individuals and families experience crises such as job loss, illness, disability, or divorce, they may face the prospect of falling into poverty (or becoming poorer) and losing health insurance coverage. Various government assistance programs are designed to lessen these hardships. These programs also provide support when families work but have low earnings and when … -
Using the Internet to Facilitate Enrollment In Benefit Programs
Revised June 20, 2005
Over the last decade, internet technology has transformed many aspects of our society, including how people obtain information and conduct personal and professional transactions. It can also offer new ways for working families to learn about and enroll in benefit programs for which they may qualify. All states … -
Administration Housing Proposal Lays Groundwork for Planned Funding Reductions
May 9, 2005
An Administration proposal, recently introduced in Congress as the “State and Local Housing Flexibility Act,” would make fundamental changes to two of the nation’s primary low-income housing assistance programs — the housing choice voucher program and public housing. [1] The proposal would lay the groundwork for … -
State Policies to Assist Working-Poor Families
December 10, 2004
Introduction For a large and growing number of Americans, having a job is not enough to lift them out of poverty. This report presents a menu of practical policy options that states can adopt to help working-poor families meet their basic needs and improve their lives. The number of people in working-poor families has grown significantly in the last two decades. In 2003, 13.1 … -
Unemployment Insurance Does Not Explain Why TANF Caseloads Are Falling As Poverty and Need Are Rising
October 12, 2004
Between 2000 and 2003, the number and percentage of single mothers living in poverty increased while the percentage of single mothers with jobs fell. At the same time, poverty among children rose, and the number of children living below half of the poverty line increased by nearly one million. In response to this increase in … -
Statement: HHS Again Touts Decline In Welfare Caseloads Despite Recent Increase In Poverty
October 7, 2004
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced today that caseloads in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program fell below 2 million during the first quarter of 2004. Echoing similar past press releases, Assistant Secretary Wade Horn claimed that “more … -
Recent Welfare Reform Research Findings
January 30, 2004
This paper summarizes some of the key research findings from recent welfare reform research — primarily research released in the last year — and discusses the policy implications of these findings. [1] Current TANF proposals that are pending in Congress would do little to address most of these challenges. When the Senate … -
Funding Issues in TANF Reauthorization
Revised February 5, 2002
Developed Jointly With The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 replaced the nation's basic cash assistance program for poor families with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. Since 1997, states have received $16.5 billion annually through the TANF block grant. … -
Immigrants and Welfare Reauthorization
Revised February 4, 2002
Developed Jointly With Until passage of the 1996 welfare law, legal immigrants were generally eligible for public benefits on the same basis as citizens. The welfare law conditioned eligibility on citizenship status rather than legal status, extending to most legal immigrants the eligibility restrictions that had … -
Improving TANF Program Outcomes for Families With Barriers to Employment
January 22, 2002
Developed Jointly With A significant number of current and former TANF recipients have various barriers to finding and maintaining employment. Among the most common barriers are physical and mental health problems, domestic violence, low skill levels, lack of adequate or affordable housing, and limited proficiency in English.… -
Strengthening Families: Ideas for TANF Reauthorization
January 22, 2002
Developed Jointly With The debate over TANF's role in strengthening families and promoting marriage may be among the liveliest of the reauthorization debates. It coincides with the emergence of new evidence showing that "family formation" trends have taken a positive turn. In the 1990s, teen …
