Final answer:
The local welfare support grant includes federal financial aid to states for welfare programs, transformed by the 1996 welfare reform to the TANF program. States received more autonomy in exchange for enforcing work requirement policies and have a lifetime limit of five years on TANF benefits for adults.
Step-by-step explanation:
The local welfare support grant refers to financial aid provided by the federal government to states for the administration and structuring of their own welfare programs. After the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act in 1996, welfare support was transformed. This legislation introduced the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, giving states grants in aid and more autonomy to fit their welfare systems within federal guidelines. In return for this flexibility, states are required to ensure that a significant number of welfare recipients are working or in job-training programs to continue receiving full funding. The act imposed a lifetime limit of five years for TANF benefits for adult welfare recipients.
The transformation from direct welfare payments and vouchers to more stringent state-controlled initiatives is part of a shift to 'workfare' aiming to integrate welfare recipients into the workforce. The shift has led to a decrease in the number of welfare recipients, which some attribute to state flexibility and others to economic factors.