ABSTRACT
With the signing of President Clinton’s 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), the goals of the welfare system in the United States changed from job training and economic assistance to a focus on removing barriers to employment and propelling welfare recipients into work. The bill consolidated the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), Emergency Assistance, and Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) programs into a single block grant for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). With the new legislation came time limits on assistance and a demand to the states to develop welfare-to-work programs that could address the needs of those with multiple barriers. In response, California developed its own legislation (CalWORKs) that would both adhere to federal standards and delineate guidelines for county welfare-to-work programs.
