2021 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 107
BY SENATORS HEWITT, BARROW AND BOUDREAUX
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the legislative auditor to conduct an efficiency audit of the Department
of Children and Family Services' administration of the Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families program.
WHEREAS, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a federal
program which began in 1997 to provide time-limited assistance to families with children
when the parents or other responsible relatives were unable to provide for the family's basic
needs; and
WHEREAS, the federal government has established four goals of the TANF program
including to provide assistance to needy families so that children may be cared for in their
own homes or in the homes of relatives; to end the dependency of needy parents on
government benefits by promoting job preparation, work, and marriage; to prevent and
reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and establish annual numerical goals
for preventing and reducing the incidence of these pregnancies; and to encourage the
formation and maintenance of two-parent families; and
WHEREAS, states have broad flexibility to achieve these goals and carry out their
TANF programs, including the type and amount of assistance payments, the range of
services provided, and participant eligibility determinations; and
WHEREAS, according to The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, in 2019
Louisiana spent about $187 million in federal and state funds under the TANF program; and
WHEREAS, The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities also noted that Louisiana
ranks 40th among the states and the District of Columbia for percentage of TANF funds
spent on basic assistance; and
WHEREAS, in July 2020, The Pew Charitable Trusts released a critical article that
cited several states, including Louisiana, for using TANF funds for purposes other than its
initial intended purpose; and
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WHEREAS, the Department of Children and Family Services, DCFS, is the
administrator of the Louisiana TANF program; and
WHEREAS, in order for the legislature to ensure that DCFS is complying with the
federal goals of the TANF program and being a good steward of taxpayer dollars used to
implement the TANF program, a thorough efficiency audit is necessary; and
WHEREAS, through an efficiency audit, the legislative auditor will investigate the
implementation and administration of the TANF program for the purpose of assessing the
fiscal management of the program, efficiency of resource utilization, and effectiveness of
state efforts at achieving the four goals of the program.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby urge and request the legislative auditor to conduct an efficiency audit of the
Department of Children and Family Services' administration of the Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families program, as part of the 2021 Louisiana Performance Audit Program.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the audit shall be completed no later than
January 1, 2022, and shall be transmitted to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
legislative auditor and the secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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