http://www.clasp.org/issues/rss/topic_publications.xml?type=temporary_assistance&id=0001 Resources and Publications from the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) en-us Mon, 20 May 2013 06:53:52 -0500 info@clasp.org webmaster@clasp.org 40 Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-WM-Testimony-TANF-Work-Feb-2013.pdf This is the testimony that Elizabeth Lower-Basch delivered before the Ways and Means Human Resource Subcommittee regarding TANF Work Requirements and Waivers. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-WM-Testimony-TANF-Work-Feb-2013.pdf Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/TANF-Reauthorization-Goals.pdf This updated Policy Brief argues that poverty alleviation and prevention of material hardship and creation of effective pathways to economic opportunity should be the goals of TANF reauthorization and recommends program changes that would more effectively promote these goals. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/TANF-Reauthorization-Goals.pdf Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/520.pdf Updated October 2012. Legislators in a number of states have proposed to test all TANF recipients for drug use. This updated brief explains that random drug testing may be unconstitutional, and is a costly and ineffective way to identify individuals in need of substance abuse treatment. Screening, targeted testing programs, and enhanced treatment options are a better approach to helping TANF families affected by substance abuse. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/520.pdf Mon, 11 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-comments-to-HHS-on-EBT-blocking.pdf A new law requires states to restrict access to TANF assistance from ATMs and POS devices in certain locations. This document responds to HHS' request for comments on how to implement this provision. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-comments-to-HHS-on-EBT-blocking.pdf Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-Ways-and-Means-State-Spending-and-WPR-May-2012.pdf CLASP submitted Testimony for the Record for the House Ways and Means Committee's hearing on State TANF Spending and its Impact on Work Requirements. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-Ways-and-Means-State-Spending-and-WPR-May-2012.pdf Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0600 /resources_and_publications/publication?id=1079&list=publications Twenty-three states around the country are considering requiring drug tests for recipients of programs like welfare (TANF) and food stamps. Elizabeth Lower-Basch discusses which states are proposing these tests and why she believes that they are unnecessary. http://www.clasp.org/resources_and_publications/publication?id=1079&list=publications Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/Big-Ideas-for-Job-Creation-Rethinking-Work-Opportunity.pdf This paper is part of the Big Ideas for Job Creation in a Jobless Recovery project, which includes proposals from more than a dozen leading experts on practical, scalable proposals to create more jobs for the U.S. economy. CLASP Senior Policy Analyst Elizabeth Lower-Basch recommends that deeper, more targeted subsidies administered at the state level are an effective way to encourage employers to hire disadvantaged workers and create jobs. There are federal subsidies such as the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) currently in place to encourage hiring of disadvantaged workers, but in contrast, they often provide large windfalls to employers in low-wage, high-turnover industries without creating any net new jobs or changing who they hire. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Big-Ideas-for-Job-Creation-Rethinking-Work-Opportunity.pdf Thu, 22 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-TANF-testimony-for-the-record-WM-September-2011.pdf On September 8, the Human Resources Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on TANF, in preparation for the pending reauthorization of the block grant. CLASP submitted this testimony for the record. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-TANF-testimony-for-the-record-WM-September-2011.pdf Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-Ways-and-Means-Committee-testimony-on-duplication.pdf In April 2011, the Subcommittee on Human Resources to the Committee on Ways and Means in the U.S. House of Representatives, held a hearing on Duplication of Government Programs with a focus on welfare and related programs. CLASP's testimony for the record focuses on how the programs should be coordinated into a system of benefits that is easy to access, unstigmatized, responsive to economic hardship, open to all, and fully funded. Education and training are drivers of economic mobility and opportunity, and low-wage workers and low-income individuals need access to them to enter and advance in the labor market. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-Ways-and-Means-Committee-testimony-on-duplication.pdf Tue, 01 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/Guide-to-Use-of-TANF-Funds.pdf This brief summaries the federal rules regarding use of federal TANF funds and state funds claimed towards the Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirement. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Guide-to-Use-of-TANF-Funds.pdf Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/CashAssistance.pdf This Policy Brief summarizes trends in cash assistance since welfare reform -- declining caseloads, progress in employment and poverty reduction in the early years, with setbacks since 2001, and an intense focus on meeting work participation rate requirements. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/CashAssistance.pdf Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/TANFBlockGrant.pdf This Policy Brief explores the wide range of programs for low-income families supported by the TANF block grant and the declining share of the grant dedicated to cash assistance. It also highlights the degree to which the grant has been eroded by inflation and population grown. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/TANFBlockGrant.pdf Thu, 09 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/2011-TANF-Extension.pdf In late November, the House and Senate extended the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant for the duration of federal fiscal year 2011, as part of H.R. 4783, the Claims Resolution Act of 2010. President Obama recently signed it into law (P.L. 111-291). This fact sheet summarizes the changes made by it. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/2011-TANF-Extension.pdf Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0600 /resources_and_publications/publication?id=0845&list=publications The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 created a new TANF Emergency Fund to assist states in expanding services during the recession. The funds could be used for basic assistance, short-term non-recurrent benefits, or subsidized employment. 39 states (plus DC, VI, and PR) funded subsidized employment programs that employed nearly 250,000 youth and adults before the fund expired on Sept. 30, 2010. This slide show depicts the time line of these subsidized employment programs. http://www.clasp.org/resources_and_publications/publication?id=0845&list=publications Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0600 /admin/site/publications/files/Emergency-Fund-Extension.pdf Congress should extend the TANF Emergency Fund as soon as possible so that states can continue and expand their subsidized jobs programs. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/Emergency-Fund-Extension.pdf Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-Finance-Committee-testimony-for-the-record.pdf In September 2010, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on Welfare Reform: A New Conversation on Women and Poverty. CLASP's testimony for the record focuses on the experience of the TANF Emergency Fund and the lessons that can be taken from it for reauthorization. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-Finance-Committee-testimony-for-the-record.pdf Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0500 /resources_and_publications/publication?id=0787&list=publications This shows the amounts that states could received under H.R. 5893 "Investing In American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010", released Wednesday July 28, 2010 by the House Ways and Means Committee. It renames the TANF Emergency Fund as the Emergency Fund for Job Creation and Assistance and extends it through FY 2011. Under this bill, states could receive up to 30 percent of their adjusted block grant during FY 2011 http://www.clasp.org/resources_and_publications/publication?id=0787&list=publications Fri, 21 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500 /postsecondary/publication?id=0764&list=publications On May 20, CLASP Executive Director Alan Houseman sent this urgent letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, urging support for the Promoting American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010. http://www.clasp.org/postsecondary/publication?id=0764&list=publications Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-Ed-and-Training-Testimony-final.pdf On April 22, Julie Strawn testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on the importance of education and training in today's economy, and the role that TANF can play in helping low-income parents obtain economic opportunity and better the lives of their children. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/CLASP-Ed-and-Training-Testimony-final.pdf Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500 /admin/site/publications/files/TANFSummerJobs.pdf This report explains the rules and requirements for using the TANF Emergency Fund to support summer jobs for youth. http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/TANFSummerJobs.pdf