In 1996, historic legislation redirected and changed our national system of welfare, a structure that had been in place for over 60 years. Despite minor tinkering in various years since the 1960s, the distribution of welfare in this country for the most part has fallen under the same guidelines since its creation. However, the recent changes, at both the national and state levels, will have a profound impact on the lives of the most disadvantaged Americans. In this thesis, I will explain the 1996 national and state welfare reform laws and how they fail to provide the necessary solutions for single-parent welfare recipients in rural Minnesota
