The plan required the additional $4.2 billion in block grants.

Also, the block grants would not necessarily increase in hard times.

The block grants serve more than 1 million participants each month.

Block grants were provided to the states, with $100 million in funding.

The number of states allowed to take such block grants would be limited, but could increase to more than 20.

The campaign for block grants is led by Republican governors.

But the Senate bill would stress giving control of the programs to the states through block grants.

So many states say it could be a couple of years before they begin to feel a pinch in the block grants.

One effort to correct the inequality is through Federal block grants.

The 169 local budgets amount to more than state and federal block grants combined.

States would have to file annual reports with data showing how they used the Federal money under both block grants.

Such block grants would not necessarily increase, even if hard times sent more people seeking welfare.

Instead, Washington will turn over fixed amounts of money, called block grants, to states to use as they please.

And now, block grants, which are really going to hurt us."

Indeed, last spring the state cut its financing to the city for child welfare by $132 million under the new system of block grants.

Many funds like the widely used community development block grants are sent through cities, which give them to local groups.

Now, no more than 15 percent of block grants can be spent on social-service programs in any one year.

But block grants are not the revolution their proponents promise.

Block grants encourage governors to channel money in old ways.

Block grants allow the central government to play a role in local policy without smothering it.

But under block grants, welfare money would not increase as the economy soured.

Proponents of block grants say states can get along with less Federal money if they have more freedom to decide how it is spent.

The House has already passed a bill to create such block grants, and the Senate is expected to do so.

The block grants, as they are known, would effectively end direct financing for many projects.

If block grants don't work, let's try something else.