Around the country, positive measures are being tried that encourage work while protecting families. Because Illinois wants to encourage work, months in which the adult works at least 25 hours a week do not count towards the families' lifetime time limit. Similarly, Illinois welfare recipients who are trying to better their employment chances by completing postsecondary education may do so without those months counting towards their time limit. Rhode Island now guarantees child care for all working families below 185 percent of the federal poverty level, whether or not they have ever been on welfare, and invests more funds to cover this expansion. Ten states offer a state earned income tax credit for low-income workers.
States wishing to help families move out of poverty have multiple ways to do so.
Rules that Allow States to Provide the Right Kinds of Help. While the 1996 welfare law requires that federal funds cannot provide welfare benefits to families for more than five years lifetime, and allows states to be even more restrictive, new federal regulations published in April 1999 make clear that states can take a far more constructive approach. Months in which they receive such help do not count towards their lifetime time limit. Months in which these subsidies are paid do not count towards the worker's TANF time limit. A Guide on Funding Services for Children and Families Through the TANF Program .