The Administration for Children and Families is issuing final regulations to implement key tribal provisions of the new welfare block grant program enacted in 1996—the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF program and the new tribal work activities program—the Native Employment Works, or NEW Program. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), Public Law 104-193, established the Tribal TANF and NEW Programs. Subsequent technical changes were enacted by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, Public Law 105-33. The TANF block grant program replaces the national welfare program known as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and the related programs known as the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS) and the Emergency Assistance (EA) program.

These Final Rules reflect new Federal, Tribal, and State relationships in the administration of welfare programs; a new focus on moving TANF recipients into work; and a new emphasis on program information, measurement, and performance. They also reflect the Administration's commitment to regulatory reform (author abstract).

65 Fed. Reg. 8478 (2000).