March 12, 1999
8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
B-354 Rayburn House Office Building
In 1996, The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act was enacted that changed welfare as we know it by eliminating the 60 year old Aid to Families with Dependent Children program and replacing it with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant. Benefits were time limited, work requirements were strengthened, and the States were given a greater role than ever before. Evidence from the States indicates that welfare rolls are shrinking significantly. This briefing will explore how well all of this is working from the perspective of the caseload decline and the situation for the recipients. It will also examine the impacts of America’s robust economy and the new law. Finally, it will take a look at what the States are doing now and what they may face in terms of delivering services when economic growth declines.
Sheldon Danziger, Ph.D., University of Michigan
Robert Moffitt, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
LaDonna Pavetti, Ph.D., Mathematica Policy Research
The Consortium of Social Science Associations
(with generous support from the Ford Foundation)
The Joint Center for Poverty Research
(with generous support from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, sponsor of the conference Welfare Reform and the Macro-Economy)