History

Demographic

Survey of Program Dynamics

President Clinton signed the Personal Responsibility
and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 into
law on August 22, 1996

On August 22, 1996, President Clinton signed legislation passed by Congress and the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 became Public Law 104-193. The goals of this legislation were to end welfare dependence by promoting job preparation and work, encouraging the formation and maintenance of two-parent families and providing states increased flexibility to achieve these goals.

The legislation directed the U.S. Census Bureau to collect data necessary to evaluate the impact of the law from households previously interviewed during the 1992 and 1993 Survey of Income and Program Participation. Households were followed annually from 1997 to 2002. The resulting survey—the Survey of Program Dynamics (SPD)—collected data providing details on the full range of state welfare programs along with social, economic, demographic, and family changes used to help or limit the effectiveness of the reforms.

For more information about this survey, visit the Census Bureau's Survey of Program Dynamics website.