It s accruing no value to us, Watson said of the massive sum of unused TANF grants. It s just not being utilized.
A bipartisan group of legislators, including Watson and Hawk, were appointed by the House and Senate speakers to a TANF working group to study how the state has administered the program and determine solutions.
While the new legislation establishes a plan to invest $300 million in TANF funds in eight community projects through an extensive application process, it also requires professional researchers to evaluate the programs being funded to ensure they re making a positive impact.
The model is intended to serve as an evidence-based approach to determining how to best fund social programs and whether grants to particular organizations should be renewed, Watson and Hawk said.