Welfare Reform: Family Caps in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
July 23, 1998 |
| Report Number |
98-620 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Shirene Hansotia and Carmen Solomon-Fears, Education and Public Welfare Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
This report examines family cap policies implemented by states under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program. Most of the 22 states that have implemented a family cap policy stipulate that no additional TANF benefits will be provided for children born to a woman who is already receiving TANF benefits. This report describes family cap polices of the states and their plans to reduce nonmarital births, provides some background on the family cap approach, discusses fundings from a couple of studies on the effect of family caps on childbearing, and describes some of the legal issues concerning family caps. In addition, it provides a detailed discussion of family cap policies and nonmarital birth strategies for each of the 22 states. It also presents three tables that show the effect of a TANF family cap on combined TANF and food stamp benefits, by state, for a mother who has a second child after enrollment in TANF, and for one who has a third child after enrollment in TANF.
