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The U.S. Conference of Mayors
Resolutions Adopted at the
67th Annual Conference of Mayors
New Orleans, Louisiana
June 11-15, 1999 |
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JOBS, EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE
WELFARE REFORM: REINVESTING STATE WELFARE
SAVINGS AND GREATER COLLABORATION
WHEREAS, the Congress passed and the President signed the Personal Responsibility
and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) which dramatically altered the
welfare system of this country and created Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF);
and
WHEREAS, PRWORA assigns governors the lead responsibility for developing and
implementing the state’s welfare reform plan; and
WHEREAS, the TANF rules provide enormous flexibility in designing programs,
fosters the collaboration and involvement of additional parties in the delivery of
services and facilitates the movement of families from welfare to work; and
WHEREAS, the success of welfare reform will depend upon the maintenance of
resources, collaboration, system building and support from federal, state and local
government investing in people in a more significant way so that self-sufficiency is the
outcome; and
WHEREAS, much attention has been paid to the significant reduction in welfare
caseloads over the last few years, yet little is known about what has actually happened to
the people who have come off welfare and whether or not they are self-sufficient; and
WHEREAS, as caseloads drop statewide, cities register much slower rates of
decline, leaving many cities with a disproportionate share of hard-to-place recipients;
and
WHEREAS, with the drops in caseloads statewide, many states have realized
significant savings from state welfare programs,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls upon
the nations’ governors to recognize the differential impact that welfare reform
efforts are having on cities and urges governors to reinvest TANF surplus dollars back
into the TANF system in order to focus on the welfare population in cities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls for greater
collaboration and system building so that the services and systems designed to serve
welfare recipients and create self-sufficiency do not present barriers to the success of
welfare reform.
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