Staff Report

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the awarding of a $2,561,627 Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) High Performance Bonus to the state of Alabama.

The award is part of $200 million in TANF High Performance Bonuses overall to 37 states and the District of Columbia for moving more welfare recipients from welfare to work, job retention, increased earnings or meeting other goals of TANF.

“President Bush is dedicated to helping more families transition from welfare dependency to work, and I am pleased to award this bonus to Alabama for doing just that,” said Secretary Thompson. “We have more work to do across our nation. Reauthorization of welfare reform needs to be completed in Congress so more states can build even stronger programs to help more children and families.”

The welfare reform legislation of 1996 authorized funding for annual performance achievement bonuses within the TANF program. Award amounts for each state depend upon their performance and the size of each state’s TANF block grant.

The 1996 TANF law expired on Oct. 1, 2002, and is operating under an extension. President Bush’s proposal to reauthorize TANF takes the next step in welfare reform by strengthening work requirements, providing the assistance families need to advance in their careers and granting states more flexibility to run successful programs.

“I congratulate Alabama for earning this bonus,” said Dr. Wade F. Horn, HHS assistant secretary for children and families. “The Bush Administration looks forward to working with Alabama and other states even more as we work to strengthen families and improve the lives of children.”