2 Garfinkel, Irwin, Sara McLanahan, and Ronald Mincy. Fragile Families, Welfare Reform and Marriage. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 2001.

West Virginia's Marriage bonus gives two-parent families receiving cash assistance a $100 bonus (or rebate) every month they remain married. On average, about 1,500 families receive the bonus per month. The Torres Martinez Desert Indian Consortium offers a lump sum of $2,000 to Native Americans living in Los Angeles and Riverside Counties who participate in a marriage promotion program. An additional $1,500 is also offered to these couples if they have a traditional Native American wedding.

To encourage couples to marry, some states have created policies that disregard the income of a new spouse when calculating TANF eligibility. Alabama, Mississippi, North Dakota and Oklahoma modified their TANF eligibility requirements to disregard the income of a new spouse during the first three to six months after a couple's wedding. Maine permits stepparents to be excluded from the TANF household. New Jersey disregards the income of a stepparent if the household's income does not exceed 150% of poverty. Tennessee permits a stepparent to be excluded from the household or if they are included the family's income can not exceed 185% of poverty.

Most states have changed their TANF eligibility requirement to treat one- and two-parent families equally; that is, families are eligible based solely on financial eligibility.

Under AFDC, two-parent families were typically ineligible for assistance because of the "100-hour rule" (the primary wage earner could not work more than 100 hours per month to be eligible for assistance). Under TANF, states were given the flexibility to set their own eligibility rules. Federal TANF requirements require that single parents must work 20 hours/week if they have a child under age 6 and 30 hours/week if they have children over the age of 6. Two-parent families must work a combined total of 35 hours/week. States are required to meet a work participation rate of 50 percent for all families and 90 percent for two-parent families. Fifteen states have created state-funded TANF programs for two-parent families so that they do not have to meet the 90 percent work participation rate for two-parent families.

At least seven states have taken steps to alleviate the disincentive of marriage that results from child support payments. The criterion for forgiving arrears varies by state. Tennessee forgives child support arrears owed by the father if he marries the mother of his children and continues to live in the household. Vermont forgives child support arrears if the biological parents are reunited (they do not need to marry).

• Karen Gardiner et al. State Policies to Promote Marriage, Final Report (Falls Church, VA: The Lewin Group, Inc., 2002).
• M. Robin Dion et al., Helping Unwed Parents Build Strong and Healthy Marriages: A Conceptual Framework for Interventions, Final Report (Washington, D.C.: Department of Health and Human Services, 2003).

What is marriage education and is it effective?

Research has found that couples can be taught critical skills that can help them manage relationship conflicts. These skills can include positive communication, less negative communication, conflict resolution, maintaining your friendship, managing finances, and enhanced commitment and intimacy. Many private programs developed by family and couples therapists can help couples learn these skills.

Marriage education can be used by couples who are newly married, have been married for a long time, are experiencing a major life event (such as the birth of their first child or becoming empty-nesters), are having marital distress or are just looking to enhance their relationship. Marriage education programs are typically taught in a classroom-like setting or in a workshop format. The classes teach general skills and do not involve sharing personal relationship problems, as is common in couples' therapy or marriage counseling. These programs have been developed by academics, researchers and religious organizations.

A variety of marriage education and premarital programs exist to teach couples about how to work together and survive the ups and downs of a lifetime commitment. Popular private marriage education programs include African American Family Life Education, Art and Science of Love, Couple Communication, Divorce Busters, IMAGO, Marriage Alive, Marriage Encounter, Marriage Enrichment, PAIRS, PREP, Relationship Enhancement, Retrouvaille, Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families, and Survival Skills for Healthy Families.

There is a vast body of research on marriage education. Some limitations of this research is that most studies have not had a sample that is representative of the nation as a whole (most samples are of middle class white couples). In addition, most studies have used small samples and were conducted during a short time frame. Some programs have been tested and found positive outcomes - that is, higher marital satisfaction, less consideration of divorce and increased understanding and acceptance of their partner. Unfortunately, research has not been conducted to determine what "types" of couples benefit most from premarital or marriage education or which couples may actually be harmed by it.

The curriculums will need to be adapted for various target populations and evaluation is necessary. It doesn't work for everyone.

• Scott Stanley, Howard Markman and Natalie Jenkins, Marriage Education and Government Policy: Helping Couples Who Choose Marriage Achieve Success (Denver, Colo.: University of Denver, 2002).

How are states using TANF funds to implement marriage initiatives?

We are aware of five states that use TANF funds to support marriage. These initiatives range from marriage bonuses to marital counseling services. A description of the programs and funding levels is provided below.

Sources: Wetzstein, Cheryl. "Welfare Promotes Marriage." The Washington Times, September 16, 2002 and National Conference of State Legislatures, 2002.

How many states have a marriage commission?

At least five states have a commission that was created to examine existing marriage programs in the state, to oversee state marriage initiatives or to create an environment for healthy marriage in the state.

• Arizona Marriage and Communication Skills Commission (2000)
• New Hampshire's legislature created a committee to study the creation of a marriage education and enhancement program (2002)
• Florida Commission on Marriage and Family Support (2003)
• Louisiana Commission on Family and Marriage (2001)
• Utah Governor's Marriage Commission (1998)