An important step in the construction of the empirical framework is the classification of
a state into the “more” and “less” generous categories. As noted above, states made many
different decisions regarding their offers of state-funded assistance to immigrants in the
post-welfare reform period. I have chosen a very simple classification to summarize all of
these activities: did the state provide any “beyond-the-minimum” state-funded assistance
to either its pre-enrollment or the post-enrollment immigrants during the 5-year bar?