Requirements

• Under the law, recipients of public assistance must find employment within two years of receiving government assistance. Activities such as on-the-job training and community service are counted toward the work requirement. Parents are guaranteed child and health care while receiving assistance.
  
  

Personal Responsibility

• The law mandates states take measures to secure child support payments on behalf of their citizens. These measure include a national new-hire database to track parents who are delinquent on payments, an improved system of establishing paternity, as well as better communication between states where matters of child support enforcement are concerned.
  
  

Incentives

• A $1 billion funding bonus was allocated to reward states who successfully transition citizens into the workforce within prescribed time frames. In addition, a $2 billion contingency fund is available for states that experience significant changes in the provision of services, such as an economic downturn or increased population growth.