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From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 made the most dramatic changes in welfare in the United States since the Great Society programs of the 1960s by replacing the federal welfare program with block grants to states that provided financial incentives for moving welfare recipients into the workforce. The measure, known as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) initiated work requirements and limited benefits to two years, at which time recipients would have to show “work activity”. The program had a lifetime cap of five years. The act also provided support for families moving from welfare to work through child care funding and guaranteed medical coverage for a year after leaving welfare.

The law strengthened child support enforcement measures by creating new tools for identifying parents delinquent in their child support and simplifying the legal process for establishing paternity. New provisions related to minors included the development of programs to prevent teen pregnancy and the requirement that unmarried minor parents live with a responsible adult or in a setting with adult supervision and participate in educational and training activities.

See also: Child Support Enforcement; Welfare

References: “The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996,” http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/abbrev/prwora96.htm (accessed August 4, 2012).

Citation Types

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Format
MLA 9th
"Personal Responsibility And Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act Of 1996." From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues, edited by Suzanne O’Dea, Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Suffrage3e_0753.
APA 7th
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues, In S. O’Dea (Ed.), Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Suffrage3e_0753.
CMOS 17th
"Personal Responsibility And Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act Of 1996." From Suffrage to the Senate America's Political Women: An Encyclopedia of Leaders, Causes & Issues, Edited by Suzanne O’Dea. Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=Suffrage3e_0753.