A Brookings Public Forum 'BLOCK GRANTS: Past, Present, and Prospects' 10/9/2003
From: Brookings Institution Office of Communications, 202-797-6105, communications@brookings.edu, http://www.brookings.edu News Advisory: WHAT: A Brookings Public Forum 'BLOCK GRANTS: Past, Present, and Prospects' WHEN: Wednesday, October 15, 2003, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. WHERE: Falk Auditorium, The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC WHO: PANEL ONE: FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL POLICYMAKERS Moderator: JUAN WILLIAMS, correspondent, National Public Radio Panelists: -- ANGELA Z. MONSON (D) Oklahoma State Senate; past president, National Conference of State Legislatures -- U.S. SEN. JIM TALENT (R-Mo.) PANEL TWO: RESEARCHERS AND SCHOLARS Moderator: MARGY WALLER, senior fellow, The Brookings Institution Panelists: -- ROBERT GREENSTEIN, executive director, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities -- PIETRO NIVOLA, senior fellow, Governance Studies, The Brookings Institution -- ROBERT RECTOR, senior research fellow, Domestic Policy Studies, Heritage Foundation PANEL THREE: POLICY EXPERTS Moderator: RON HASKINS, senior fellow, The Brookings Institution Panelists: -- WADE HORN, assistant secretary, Administration for Children and Families, HHS -- BARBARA SARD, director of housing policy, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities -- ALAN WEIL, director, Assessing the New Federalism, The Urban Institute -- FRED WULCZYN, research fellow, Chapin Hall Center for Children The Bush administration has proposed turning at least six existing federal programs serving low-income families-Medicaid, housing, workforce development, child protection, transportation, and Head Start-into block grants or something similar, which brings the longstanding issues of federalism and devolution to the forefront. At the same time, the administration has proposed "superwaivers," which would give states authority to streamline certain federal programs and waive program rules. As Congress considers reauthorization of the 1996 welfare reform bill, superwaivers and the authority for five states to block-grant food stamps are part of the debate. The Brookings Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy and the Welfare Reform & Beyond Initiative will sponsor a public forum to discuss the block grant proposals and the broader issues related to the changing relationship between federal, state, and local governments, and the trade-offs between flexibility and funding certainty. The forum will include policymakers, researchers, and policy experts. RSVP: Please call the Brookings Office of Communications, 202/797-6105, or email us at communications@brookings.edu or visit us online at http://www.brookings.edu/comm/events/20031015.htm. |