The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 dramatically altered the nation's system for providing assistance to the poor. Among the many changes, the act replaced the existing entitlement program for poor families (Aid to Families With Dependent Children) with fixed block grants to the states to provide Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). TANF imposes work requirements on adults and establishes time limits on the receipt of federal assistance. However, for welfare recipients trying to move from welfare to work, a lack of transportation to the places of employment can pose significant barriers. Existing public transportation systems cannot always transport low-income people from their homes to the entry-level jobs they would likely fill. Many of these jobs are located in suburbs beyond the reach of public transportation, or they require shift work in the evenings or on weekends when public transportation is unavailable or limited.

Temp. Assist. for Needy Families (TANF) provided block grants to states, giving them increased flexibility to determine how they will meet program goals. Most families who receive TANF must assume responsibility for achieving self-sufficiency by participating in work activities. This report provides info. on: state sanction policies under TANF; state procedures to reconcile noncompliance before imposing sanctions and state policies on families' right to appeal sanctions; the number of benefit reductions and terminations that results from sanctions; and state studies of families whose benefits are reduced or terminated as a result of sanctions.