From Margy Waller: Brand new posting: You can find all of the transcripts and powerpoint presentations from the Brookings Urban Center NYC event on block grants on our site as of today. The Brookings InstitutionEnding the Safety Net as We Know It? Assessing the New Federal Block Grant ProposalsOverview The 1996 welfare law transformed a safety net for all eligible families into a block grant for states. Now, the Bush Administration wants to apply this model to other major anti-poverty programs. While the plan takes the form of individual legislative pieces, together they have major implications for the federal role in addressing the needs of low-income Americans. The speakers at this forum discussed what this shift in social policy could mean for states and localities and ultimately for low-income families.