Candidate Notes on 99-NGA32

99-NGA32 on Mar 24, 1999

The nation’s Governors have serious concerns with recent proposals to expand the use of TANF funds beyond the original intent of the statute. The TANF block grant was at the heart of the 1996 welfare reform agreement and we strongly oppose attempts to use welfare-related funds to pay for other federal programs.

Specifically, the House budget resolution anticipates that states will be given additional flexibility to use unspent TANF funds for educational purposes, such as school construction and hiring teachers. Notwithstanding the merit of these initiatives, designating welfare funds for such programs is clearly beyond the original purposes of TANF. We caution you that an expansion of flexibility outside the scope of TANF sets a dangerous precedent of violating the original purposes established as part of welfare reform agreement, [which states] that the purpose of TANF is to:

provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives;

end the dependence of needy parents on government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage;

prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and establish annual numerical goals for preventing and reducing the incidence of these pregnancies; and

encourage the formation and maintenance of two-parent families. We have experienced tremendous success in transforming the welfare system from one of dependency to one of self-sufficiency. However, there is more work to be done. Opening up the TANF block grant to fund other priorities sets a dangerous precedent and is simply unacceptable. The nation’s Governors urge you to protect the integrity of the TANF block grant as it was established in 1996.

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