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TANF Emergency Contingency Fund [December 22, 2010]

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"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) created a $5 billion Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF) within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant to help states, Indian tribes, and the territories pay for additional economic aid to families during the current economic downturn. It was part of a package of tax and benefit program provisions aimed at stemming the decline in family incomes and purchasing power caused by increased unemployment. The ECF was a temporary fund for two years, FY2009 and FY2010, and expired on September 30, 2010. All of the available $5 billion was awarded by the fund's expiration date to states, tribes, and territories. Though the economy grew in the last half of 2009 and the first three quarters of 2010, unemployment remained high. Historically, the trend in the cash welfare caseload has sometimes followed economic conditions, but sometimes not. After the 1990-1991 recession, welfare caseloads actually peaked in March 1994 before beginning their decline. The 111th Congress considered legislation in 2010 to extend the ECF beyond September 30, 2010. However, though the House twice passed bills to extend the ECF, none of these measures received Senate approval. A provision of the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-291) extended the basic TANF program through the end of FY2011 without the ECF."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2010-12-22
TANF Emergency Contingency Fund [October 6, 2010]

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"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) created a $5 billion Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF) within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant to help states, Indian tribes, and the territories pay for additional economic aid to families during the current economic downturn. It was part of a package of tax and benefit program provisions aimed at stemming the decline in family incomes and purchasing power caused by increased unemployment. The ECF was a temporary fund for two years, FY2009 and FY2010, and expired on September 30, 2010. All of the available $5 billion was awarded by the fund's expiration date to states, tribes, and territories. [...] Though the economy grew in the last half of 2009 and the first half of 2010, unemployment remained high. Historically, the trends in cash welfare caseload have sometimes followed economic conditions, but sometimes not. After the 1990-1991 recession, welfare caseloads actually peaked in March 1994 before beginning their decline. President Obama's FY2011 budget proposed continuing emergency funds through FY2011. Thus far in 2010, the House has twice passed bills that included extensions to the ECF in 2010; proposals that included ECF extensions have also been before the Senate during the year but have not passed. Basic TANF funding was also scheduled to expire on September 30, 2010. TANF was extended through December 3, 2010, as part of a government-wide continuing resolution (P.L. 111-242), but the ECF was not extended. Congress did provide a $506 million appropriation for the TANF 'regular' contingency fund (created in the 1996 welfare law), which is currently the source of any additional federal TANF funds to meet additional costs associated with the lingering effects of the 2007-2009 recession."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2010-10-06
TANF Emergency Contingency Fund [September 20, 2010]

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"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) created a $5 billion Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF) within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant to help states, Indian tribes, and the territories pay for additional economic aid to families during the current economic downturn. It was part of a package of tax and benefit program provisions aimed at stemming the decline in family incomes and purchasing power caused by increased unemployment. The ECF is a temporary fund for two years, FY2009 and FY2010, and thus is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2010. On August 31, 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that the full $5 billion in the fund will be used by the states, tribes, and territories by the end of FY2010. TANF is best known for funding cash welfare payments for low-income families, but it actually provides funds for a wide range of benefits and services to ameliorate the effects of, or address the root causes of, economic disadvantage among families with children. While TANF funds a wide range of both economic aid and human services to families with children, the ECF is limited to funding three categories of expenditures: basic assistance, a category that most closely resembles traditional cash welfare; non-recurrent short-term (e.g., emergency) aid; and subsidized employment."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2010-09-20
Hurricane Katrina: Social-Demographic Characteristics of Impacted Areas [November 4, 2005]

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"On the morning of August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast between the major cities of New Orleans, Louisiana, to the west, and Mobile, Alabama, to the east. Along the Gulf Coast and inland in the swath of the storm, Hurricane Katrina hundreds of thousands of families in three states (Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama) and contributed to the deaths of more than 1,000 people. While CRS estimates that 5.8 million people in three states may have experienced hurricane-force winds, the majority rode out the storm safely. Property damage, loss of life, and sizeable displacement of the population appear to have been largely concentrated along the Gulf Coast within a 100-mile radius of where the storm made landfall [...] This estimate is based on geographical analysis of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood and damage assessments and year 2000 Census data [...] The analysis shows that the Louisiana parishes of Orleans and St. Bernard were especially hard hit by flooding, with an estimated 77% of Orleans population affected, and nearly all residents of St. Bernard. In Mississippi, 55% of Hancock County's population is estimated to have been affected by flooding and/or structural damage, and in the more populous Harrison County, about 19% of its population. In Louisiana, an estimated 645,000 people may have been displaced by the hurricane (based on 2000 Census data), and in Mississippi, 66,000 [...] Due to the city's social and economic composition, the storm impacted heavily on the poor and African Americans--elderly people, families, and children were also affected. CRS estimates that one-fifth of those displaced by the storm were likely to have been poor, and 30% had incomes that were below 1 times the poverty line."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene; McCarty, Maggie; Gabe, Thomas

2005-11-04
Highlights of Three FY2013 Budget Proposals for the Human Resources 'Superfunction': Education, Training, Social Services, Health, Income Security, and Veterans [July 13, 2012]

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"Debate is occurring on short- and long-term efforts to boost the economy, reduce the deficit, and stabilize the debt; this debate includes proposals to alter the overall size and composition of federal spending and revenues. 'Human resources' programs account for the majority of federal outlays (67% in FY2011) and would be affected by these proposals. Six categories comprise the human resources 'superfunction': education, training, employment, and social services; health (largely Medicaid); Medicare; income security; Social Security; and veterans programs. President Obama submitted a detailed FY2013 budget proposal to Congress in February. The House subsequently passed an FY2013 budget resolution (H.Con.Res. 112), based on a proposal by Budget Committee Chairman Ryan. Several proposals have been offered by Members of the Senate, including a resolution by Budget Committee Chairman Conrad that is based on recommendations of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (Simpson-Bowles Commission). Although the House and Senate have not agreed on a budget resolution, the FY2013 appropriations process is underway. The House has also passed a reconciliation bill (H.R. 5652) intended to replace an automatic budget reduction (i.e., 'sequestration') scheduled to occur on January 2, 2013, under provisions of the Budget Control Act of 2011."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Spar, Karen; Falk, Gene

2012-07-13
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Welfare-to-Work Revisited [October 2, 2012]

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"One of the central features of the 1996 welfare reform law (Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, PRWORA, P.L. 104-193) was its focus on requiring and promoting work and job preparation for parents (mostly single mothers) in needy families with children. That law created the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, and completed a decades-long evolution in policy, from one where cash assistance was provided to families headed by single mothers to permit them to stay at home and care for their children to one of encouraging and ultimately requiring work. […] This report examines the work participation standards and requirements for cash assistance recipients of the TANF block grant, which was created in the 1996 welfare reform law. This report provides a short history of work requirements in programs that provide cash assistance to needy families with children; reviews the major studies that contribute to the knowledge of what types of welfare-to-work programs are effective; discusses the TANF work provisions that apply directly to individuals and analyzes FY2009 data on engagement in work and work-related activities of adults in TANF households; discusses the TANF work participation standards that apply to states and analyzes FY2009 data on participation as they relate to those standards; and discusses some issues that Congress might consider in the future, such as how the work standards can address changing circumstances and the difficulties of measuring the performance of states in the context of a block grant."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Bopp, Shannon; Falk, Gene

2012-10-02
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements [November 6, 2012]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides federal grants to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Indian tribes, and the territories for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities. It is best known for helping states pay for cash welfare for needy families with children, but it funds a wide array of additional activities. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. [Public Law] 104-193). Current law funds TANF through March 2013. TANF provides a basic block grant of $16.5 billion to the 50 states and District of Columbia, and $0.1 billion to U.S. territories. It also requires states to contribute in the aggregate from their own funds at least $10.4 billion for benefits and services to needy families with children--this is known as the maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement. States may use TANF and MOE funds in any manner 'reasonably calculated' to achieve TANF's statutory purpose. This purpose is to increase state flexibility to achieve four goals: (1) provide assistance to needy families with children so that they can live in their own homes or the homes of relatives; (2) end dependence of needy parents on government benefits through work, job preparation, and marriage; (3) reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) promote the formation and maintenance of two-parent families."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2012-11-06
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements [October 10, 2012]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides federal grants to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Indian tribes, and the territories for a wide range of benefits and activities. It is best known as the major source of funding for cash welfare for needy families with children. However, federal law allows TANF funds to be used for other benefits and services that provide economic help to low-income families with children and to support the goals of reducing out-of-wedlock pregnancies and promoting two-parent families. The TANF block grant was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). Current law funds TANF through March 2013. […] This report provides an overview of TANF financing and rules for state programs, describing federal TANF grants and state funds under a 'maintenance-of-effort' (MOE) requirement; how states may use federal TANF and state MOE funds to help achieve the purpose and goals of the TANF block grant; rules that apply to states when they use TANF or MOE funds to provide cash welfare to needy families with children; rules that apply to states when they use TANF or MOE funds for benefits and services other than cash welfare; certain accountability requirements that apply to states, including requirements that states submit plans and report data to the federal government; and provisions of TANF law not directly related to grants to states, such as competitive grants for promoting healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood, tribal TANF provisions, and research funds."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2012-10-10
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [October 2, 2012]

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"This report provides responses to frequently asked questions about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. It is intended to serve as a quick reference to provide easy access to information and data. This report does not provide information on TANF program rules. For such information, see CRS [Congressional Research Service] Report RL32748, 'The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements', by Gene Falk. For a non-technical overview of TANF, see CRS Report R40946, 'The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant: An Introduction', by Gene Falk."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2012-10-02
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant: An Introduction [November 19, 2012]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides grants to states, Indian tribes, and territories for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities that address economic and social disadvantage for families with children. TANF is best known for funding state cash welfare programs for needy families with children, and it was created in the 1996 welfare reform law. However, TANF is not synonymous with cash welfare. In FY2011, only 29% of federal and state TANF dollars were for cash welfare. TANF also funds child care; programs that address child abuse and neglect; various early childhood initiatives, including prekindergarten programs; earnings supplements for workers in low-income families; emergency and short-term aid; pregnancy prevention programs; responsible fatherhood programs; and initiatives to encourage healthy marriages. […] TANF is not a program per se, but a flexible funding stream used to provide a wide range of benefits and services that address the effects of, and the root causes of, disadvantage among families with children. TANF is currently funded through March 2013. Decisions on extending TANF funding further will be made in the context of both the lingering effects of the 2007-2009 recession and longer trends that were evident even before the recession that showed an increasing percentage of children living in poverty and born into circumstances associated with economic disadvantage."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2012-11-19
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant: An Introduction [April 2, 2013]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides grants to states, Indian tribes, and territories for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities that address economic disadvantage. TANF is best known for funding state cash welfare programs for low-income families with children. It was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, P.L. [Public Law] 104-193), replacing the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) cash welfare program and several related programs. However, in FY2011, cash welfare represented only 29% of TANF funds. TANF funds a wide range of activities that seek to both ameliorate the effects of and address the root causes of child poverty. In addition to state block grants, TANF includes competitive grants to fund healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood initiatives. This report provides a nontechnical introduction to the TANF block grant. It briefly describes [1] TANF financing; [2] how TANF funds may be used and are being used; [3] the TANF cash welfare programs; and [4] other TANF benefits, services, and activities."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2013-04-02
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Eligibility and Benefit Amounts in State TANF Cash Assistance Programs [July 22, 2014]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant helps fund, among other benefits and services, state cash assistance programs to needy families with children. Cash assistance generally represents a benefit paid monthly to help meet a family's ongoing basic needs. Federal law prescribes the general eligible population for state cash assistance programs. For example, a family receiving assistance must have a dependent child. However, there are no federal rules defining what makes a family financially 'needy' or determining what benefit amounts are paid. Financial need and benefit amounts are determined by the states. […] This report describes state TANF financial eligibility rules and maximum benefit amounts. The information represents Congressional Research Service (CRS) calculations based on data from the Urban Institute's Welfare Rules Database. That information is supplemented by historical information on maximum AFDC [Aid to Families with Dependent Children] benefits from a CRS [Congressional Research Service] survey of the states for selected years from 1981 to 1996."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2014-07-22
Low-Income Assistance Programs: Trends in Federal Spending [May 7, 2014]

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From the Document: "This report examines the spending trends of 10 major need-tested benefit programs or groups of programs: (1) health care from Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP); (2) the refundable portion of the health insurance tax credit enacted in the 2010 health care reform law; (3) the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); (4) assisted housing; (5) financial assistance for post-secondary students (Pell Grants); (6) compensatory education grants to school districts; (7) the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC); (8) the Additional Child Tax Credit (ACTC); (9) Supplemental Security Income (SSI); and (10) Family Support Payments. The common feature of need-tested programs is that they provide benefits, services, or funding based on a measure of limited financial resources (income and sometimes assets). However, other than that common feature, the programs differ considerably in their target populations, services, and focus."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2014-05-07
Poverty: Major Themes in Past Debates and Current Proposals [September 18, 2014

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"This year marks the 50th anniversary of the War on Poverty, but poverty remains a difficult policy challenge. The Obama Administration and some in Congress have offered proposals that seek to address poverty, with the proposals differing considerably in their focus and content. However, the themes reflected in these proposals echo prior efforts to address the issue of poverty. The terms 'poverty' and 'welfare' (commonly thought of as cash assistance for the poor) are often intertwined, but federal policies affecting poverty are broader than a single program or set of programs. In fact, the social insurance program of Social Security may be the nation's most important antipoverty program. The incidence and character of poverty is affected by many facets of public life. […] As federal antipoverty policy evolved--and some approaches were adopted, while others were not--certain overarching themes have recurred, including the following: [1] Universal policies versus need-tested benefits: should policies be designed to benefit everyone, or be targeted on those with financial need? [2] Income, services, or employment strategies: which of these strategies is most effective in reducing poverty? [3] Work and other behavioral requirements: should conditions be placed on the receipt of assistance, and what behaviors should those conditions reinforce? [4] Concepts of federalism: what is the appropriate balance between the federal, state and local governments in designing and implementing programs? [5] Coordination and related policies: how can multiple programs work together to avoid overlap and duplication? [6] Experimentation: how can we determine effectiveness? [7] Budget considerations: what do programs cost, and how are these costs balanced against other federal priorities?"

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene; Spar, Karen

2014-09-18
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [September 23, 2014]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families with children. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). […]This report provides responses to frequently asked questions about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. It is intended to serve as a quick reference to provide easy access to information and data. This report does not provide information on TANF program rules."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2014-09-23
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): An Overview [October 22, 2014]

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"The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC or EIC) began in 1975 as a temporary program to return a portion of the Social Security tax paid by lower-income taxpayers (the credit was, and remains, calculated as a percentage of earned income, with no direct link to Social Security taxes paid by the tax filer), and was made permanent in 1978. In the 1990s, the program became a major component of federal efforts to reduce poverty, and is now the largest need-tested, anti-poverty cash entitlement program. Childless adults in 2011 (the latest year for which data are available) received an average EITC of $264, families with one child received an average EITC of $2,199, families with two children received an average EITC of $3,469, and families with three or more children received an average EITC of $3,750. A low-income worker must file an annual income tax return to receive the EITC and meet certain requirements for income and age. A tax filer cannot be a dependent of another tax filer and must be a resident of the United States unless overseas because of military duty. The EITC is based on income and whether the tax filer has a qualifying child. The EITC interacts with several nonrefundable federal tax credits to the extent lower-income workers can use the credits to reduce tax liability before the EITC. Income from the credit is not used to determine eligibility or benefits for need-tested programs."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2014-10-22
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Size and Characteristics of the Cash Assistance Caseload [August 5, 2014]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides states, territories, and Indian tribes with federal grants for benefits and services intended to ameliorate the effects, and address the root causes, of child poverty. It was created in the 1996 welfare reform law, and is most associated with policies such as time limits and work requirements that sought to address concerns about 'welfare dependency' of single mothers who received cash assistance. This report examines the characteristics of the TANF cash assistance caseload in FY2011, and compares it with selected post-welfare reform years (FY2001 and FY2006) and pre-welfare reform years (FY1988 and FY1994). The size of the caseload first increased, from 3.7 million families per month in FY1988 to 5.0 million families per month in FY1994, and then declined dramatically to 2.2 million families in FY2001 and 1.9 million families in FY2011. Over this period, some of the characteristics of the TANF cash assistance caseload have remained fairly stable, and other characteristics have changed. Most cash assistance families are small; 51.2% of all TANF cash assistance families in FY2011 had one child. Cash assistance families also frequently have young children; 58.5% in FY2011 had a pre-school-aged child. The majority of the cash assistance caseload has also been composed of racial and ethnic minorities. By FY2011, the largest racial/ethnic group of TANF cash assistance children was Hispanic. In that year, of all TANF assistance child recipients, 34.4% were Hispanic, 32.5% were African-American, and 25.5% were non-Hispanic white. The growth in Hispanic children as a percent of all TANF assistance children is due entirely to their population growth--not an increase in the rate at which Hispanic children receive TANF."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2014-08-05
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): An Overview [December 3, 2014]

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"The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a refundable tax credit available to eligible workers with relatively low earnings. Because the credit is refundable, an EITC recipient need not owe taxes to receive the benefit. The credit is authorized by Section 32 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and administered as part of the federal income tax system. In 2012, a total of $64.1 billion was claimed by 27.8 million tax filers, making the EITC the largest need-tested anti-poverty cash assistance program. Under current law, the EITC is calculated based on a recipient's earned income, using one of eight different formulas, which vary depending on several factors, including the number of qualifying children a tax filer has (zero, one, two, or three or more) and his or her marital status (unmarried or married). All else being equal, the amount of the credit tends to increase with the number of eligible children the EITC claimant has. Indeed, most of the benefits of the EITC--97% of EITC dollars in 2012--go to families with children. This report provides an overview of the EITC, first discussing eligibility requirements for the credit, followed by how the credit is computed and paid. The report then provides data on the growth of the EITC since it was first enacted in 1975. Finally the report concludes with data on the EITC claimed on 2012 tax returns, examining EITC claims by number of qualifying children, income level, tax filing status, and location of residence."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene; Crandall-Hollick, Margot L.

2014-12-03
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Characteristics of the Cash Assistance Caseload [August 21, 2013]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides states, territories, and Indian tribes with federal grants for benefits and services to ameliorate the effects, and address the root causes, of child poverty. It was created in the 1996 welfare reform law, and is most associated with policies such as time limits and work requirements that sought to address concerns about 'welfare dependency' of single mothers who received cash assistance. This report examines the characteristics of the TANF cash assistance caseload in FY2010, and compares it with selected post-welfare reform years (FY2001 and FY2006) and pre-welfare reform years (FY1988 and FY1994). The size of the caseload first increased, from 3.7 million families per month in FY1988 to 5.0 million families per month in FY1994, and then declined dramatically to 2.2 million families in FY2001 and 1.9 million families in FY2010. Over this period, some of the characteristics of the TANF cash assistance caseload have remained fairly stable, and other characteristics have changed."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2013-08-21
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [February 4, 2014]

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"This report provides responses to frequently asked questions about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. It is intended to serve as a quick reference to provide easy access to information and data. This report does not provide information on TANF program rules. For such information, see CRS Report RL32748, 'The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements,' by Gene Falk. For a non-technical overview of TANF, see CRS Report R40946, 'The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant: An Introduction,' by Gene Falk."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2014-02-04
Federal Minimum Wage, Tax-Transfer Earnings Supplements, and Poverty [February 28, 2014]

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"An increase in the federal minimum wage has been one of several alternative policy proposals that have been offered to address poverty. Pending before the 113th Congress is legislation, S. 1737 (Senator Harkin) and H.R. 1010 (Representative Miller), that would raise the federal minimum wage from its current law $7.25 to, in three steps, $10.10 per hour. If these bills were enacted in 2014, the minimum wage would rise to $10.10 per hour sometime in 2016. The minimum wage would be adjusted for inflation thereafter. An expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is an often-mentioned alternative to raising the minimum wage. The EITC currently supplements the wages of low-wage workers, mostly low-wage parents with children. Low-wage workers with children may receive additional income supplements through the child tax credit, and might qualify for certain need-tested government benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps). If Congress sought to pursue an increase in incomes for low-wage earners, there is a debate over whether increases in the minimum wage or expansions of government aid through the tax system or benefit programs are more effective in helping low-income families and addressing poverty. The minimum wage affects workers regardless of their family status; the federal tax system and government benefit programs take into account family circumstances in determining tax liabilities and benefits. Therefore, minimum wage and earnings supplement policies have differing impacts, depending on a worker's family type."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene; Gabe, Thomas; Bradley, David H.

2014-02-28
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [October 2, 2013]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families with children. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). This report responds to some frequently asked questions about TANF; it does not describe TANF rules (see, instead, CRS [Congressional Research Service] Report RL32748, The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements, by Gene Falk). TANF Funding. TANF provides fixed funding to states, the bulk of which is provided in a $16.5 billion-per-year basic federal block grant. States are required in total to contribute, from their own funds, at least $10.4 billion under a maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement. The bulk of federal TANF funding lapsed at the end of September 30, 2013. The pending continuing resolution (H.J.Res. 59) would fund TANF into FY2014. State Spending. Though TANF is best known for funding cash assistance payments for needy families with children, the block grant and MOE funds are used for a wide variety of benefits and activities. In FY2012, expenditures on basic assistance (cash assistance) totaled $9.0 billion-- 28.6% of total federal TANF and MOE dollars. TANF also contributes funds for child care and services for children who have been, or are at risk of being, abused and neglected."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2013-10-02
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements [Updated April 23, 2007]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides federal grants to states for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities. It is best known for helping states pay for cash welfare for needy families with children, but it funds a wide array of additional activities. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). TANF funding and program authority were extended through FY2010 by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA, P.L. 109-171). TANF provides a basic block grant of $16.5 billion to the 50 states and District of Columbia, and $0.1 billion to U.S. territories. Additionally, 17 states qualify for supplemental grants that total $319 million. TANF also requires states to contribute from their own funds at least $10.4 billion for benefits and services to needy families with children -- this is known as the maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement. States may use TANF and MOE funds in any manner 'reasonably calculated' to achieve TANF's statutory purpose. This purpose is to increase state flexibility to achieve four goals: (1) provide assistance to needy families with children so that they can live in their own homes or the homes of relatives; (2) end dependence of needy parents on government benefits through work, job preparation, and marriage; (3) reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) promote the formation and maintenance of two-parent families."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2007-04-23
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [March 12, 2014]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families with children. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). This report responds to some frequently asked questions about TANF."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2014-03-12
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements [January 27, 2014]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides federal grants to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Indian tribes, and the territories for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities. It is best known for helping states pay for cash welfare for needy families with children, but it funds a wide array of additional activities. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. [Public Law] 104-193). Current law funds TANF through March 2013. TANF provides a basic block grant of $16.5 billion. It also requires states to contribute in the aggregate from their own funds at least $10.4 billion for benefits and services to needy families with children--this is known as the maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement. States may use TANF and MOE funds in any manner 'reasonably calculated' to achieve TANF's statutory purpose. This purpose is to increase state flexibility to achieve four goals: (1) provide assistance to needy families with children so that they can live in their own homes or the homes of relatives; (2) end dependence of needy parents on government benefits through work, job preparation, and marriage; (3) reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) promote the formation and maintenance of two-parent families."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2014-01-27
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [July 9, 2015]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families with children. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). This report responds to some frequently asked questions about TANF; it does not describe TANF rules (see, instead, CRS Report RL32748, 'The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements', by Gene Falk)."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2015-07-09
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Financing Issues [September 8, 2015]

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From the Summary: "The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides grants to states, Indian tribes, and territories to help them fund a wide range of benefits and services for needy families with children. It was created in the 1996 welfare reform law, which rewrote the rules for cash assistance programs for these families. The 1996 law also created TANF as a broad-purpose block grant with state flexibility to design programs to address both the effects of and root causes of childhood economic disadvantage. TANF funding is based on the amount of federal and state expenditures in its predecessor programs (Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), and related programs) in the early to mid-1990s. The bulk of federal TANF funds is in a basic block grant. Both the national total of the basic block grant, $16.5 billion per year, and each state's grant are based on federal funding in the predecessor programs during this period. States must also expend a minimum amount of their own funds on TANF or TANF-related programs under the maintenance of effort (MOE) requirement. That minimum totals $10.4 billion per year. The MOE is based on state expenditures in the predecessor programs in FY1994. Over time, states have received some extra TANF funding: welfare-to-work grants, contingency funds, supplemental grants, and bonus funds. However, these grants were small relative to the basic block grant and MOE funding."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2015-09-08
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [March 18, 2016]

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"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families with children. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). This report responds to some frequently asked questions about TANF; it does not describe TANF rules."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2016-03-18
Federal Minimum Wage, Tax-Transfer Earnings Supplements, and Poverty, 2016 Update: In Brief [April 8, 2016]

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From the Document: "This report updates information from CRS [Congressional Research Service] Report R43409, 'Federal Minimum Wage, Tax-Transfer Earnings Supplements', and Poverty. It provides illustrative examples of how families' earnings at the minimum wage interact with the federal tax system (both federal payroll and income taxes) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The original report examined earnings, federal taxes, and SNAP benefits for families with a worker earning the current federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) and earning a proposed $10.10 per hour minimum wage. This report examines those wage levels and a proposed $15.00 per hour minimum wage based on tax and benefit rules in effect in 2016. Earnings and 'net income' (after federal taxes and SNAP) are also examined in this report relative to the 2016 Federal Poverty Level (FPL)."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene

2016-04-08
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant Legislation in the 114th Congress [June 7, 2016]

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"In May 2016, the House Ways and Means Committee approved six bills related to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. The bills include separate demonstration projects of social impact partnerships and subsidized employment, as well as four bills altering specific provisions of TANF. The TANF block grant funds grants to states, tribes, and territories for providing benefits, services, and activities to broadly address both the effects and root causes of childhood economic and social disadvantage. It was created in the 1996 welfare reform law, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-193), which culminated decades of debate over how to change public assistance programs for needy families with children. Most TANF policy dates back to the 1996 welfare law, as a full reauthorization of the block grant has never been enacted."

Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Falk, Gene; Keegan, Natalie; Brass, Clinton T.

2016-06-07

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