Welfare Reform Taskforce
The Welfare Reform Taskforce of the National Rural Development Partnership (NRDP) was established in January 1997 to provide a forum for local, state, tribal and federal government representatives, and private and non-profit sector members to exchange information about the impact of welfare reform in rural communities. From small town mayors to rural public transit operators to university-based researchers, the Taskforce offers a distinct, crosscutting perspective on rural welfare reform issues.
Rural America is driven by pride in its heritage and faith in its future. By combining a spirited sense of vision with a rural perspective, the NRDP Welfare Reform Taskforce strives to meet the challenges of global competitiveness and self-sufficiency confronting corporate and private citizens. This can only be assured by improving the quality of life while preserving the characteristics which give rural communities their unique sense of place. The Taskforce will support the Partnership and individual members by:
- Providing access to and exchange of information
- Monitoring, reviewing and commenting on legislation, federal regulations, and policy
- Working for expanded public transportation, accessible child care, and community-related infrastructure
- Pursuing workforce development initiatives, reflected in rural employment, education and training programs
As soon as Congress passes a welfare reform bill and the President signs it, there is a prime opportunity for rural America to make its concerns known in the regulatory process. The regulatory process consists of HHS drafting the day-to-day operations of welfare reform. It is in the implementation stage, where the logistics are instituted based on the broad directive from Congress.
Secretary Thompson has engaged the Rural Welfare Reform Taskforce to participate in the regulatory process. To prepare for this work, conference calls on the vital issues in welfare reform are held periodically to keep Taskforce members up to speed on what is and is not working in welfare reform.
Read the Work Plan – Role of the Taskforce in the Welfare Law Regulatory Process.
See Conference Calls and Minutes below to read about the various issues the Taskforce has explored over the last several years.
The Welfare Reform Taskforce leader arranges periodic telephone conferences that allow members to share information. Below are links for printable versions of the call minutes.
Conference call dates and topics:
2003
February 28, 2003 Issues in Tribal TANF
2002
November 7, 2002 Transitional Benefits Best Practices
September 5, 2002 Microenterprise and Welfare Reform
June 13, 2002 Brainstorming call for the next year
May 23, 2002 TANF Reauthorization Rural Perspective
April 23, 2002 Substance Abuse and Mental Health
January 22, 2002 Telecommunications in Rural Areas
2001
December 11, 2001 Microenterprise in Rural Areas
November 13, 2001 Faith Based Organizations and Welfare
October 16, 2001 Rural Transportation and Welfare Reform
September 25, 2001 Sec. Thompson's Rural Initiative
August 16, 2001 Child Care and Welfare Reform
July 19, 2001 Education Opportunities Under Welfare Reform
June 14, 2001 Discussion: Focus on reauthorization?
May 17, 2001 Food Assistance Programs
March 23, 2001 Domestic Violence and Welfare Reform
January 25, 2001 Faith-Based Organizations and Welfare
2000
November 16, 2000 Reauthorization of TANF
September 22, 2000 General discussion
- Issued comments on the interim final regulations of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families legislation in conjunction with the Rural Policy Research Institute's Welfare Reform Taskforce, March 1998.
- Meeting with the Department of Labor Welfare-to-Work Office to discuss rural welfare-to-work initiatives and technical assistance needs, March 1998. For more information about rural welfare reform, link to "Rural Voice" a technical assistance publication published by the U.S. Department of Labor's Welfare to Work Office.
- Compiled and published the report Child Care and Transportation Strategies for Rural Communities: Meeting the Welfare Reform Challenge, September 1998.
- Held a consultation meeting with Olivia Golden, Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, regarding rural welfare reform issues. October 1998. For more information, see the RUPRI web site for the supporting materials developed as a component of the briefing book for this meeting.
To subscribe to the Welfare Reform Listserv, follow the directions listed on the NRDP Listservs page
Contact the Taskforce Moderator
In the coming weeks there will be a new moderator of the Welfare Reform
Taskforce. If you have any questions about the Rural Welfare Reform Taskforce,
would like to become a member, or would like to request materials, please
contact the Office of Community Development, 1-800-645-4712.
NRDP Taskforces
Last Updated December 1, 2004
