House Passes TANF Reauthorization (HR 4)
House Republican Conference Chairwoman Deborah Pryce (R-OH) introduced H.R. 4, the Personal Responsibility, Work and Family Promotion Act of 2003 -- legislation to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The bill bypassed the committee process and went directly to the House floor. The bill passed on February 12, 2003.
H.R. 4 is almost identical to the bill that passed the House last year and is similar to the Bush Administration proposal. Both proposals would:
- Freeze the TANF block grant at $16 billion per year over the next five years.
- Increase work requirements of TANF recipients from 30 to 40 hours per week.
- Limit activities that count as "work." (For example, English classes or substance abuse treatment might not count as work).
- Maintains the current eligibility requirements on legal immigrants. For example, TANF will still be available only to those immigrants who have been in the country legally for at least five years (States can, with their own funding, extend eligibility to immigrants who have been in the country less time).
Democrats offered a substitute amendment to H.R. 4 during the floor debate, but it failed to garner enough support. The substitute included.
- A restoration of TANF to lawfully present immigrants regardless of their date of entry.
- An option to allow states to provide health care to pregnant women and children through Medicaid or the State Children's Health Investment Act (SCHIP), regardless of their date of entry.
- A restoration of Social Security Income (SSI) to children.
The Senate is expected to move more slowly than the House. The Senate Finance Committee may hold hearings on a TANF bill in March and then move to full Senate consideration in April. Senate Finance committee chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) has promised to work with Finance ranking member Max Baucus (D-MT) in the bipartisan manner established last year to craft the Senate bill.
For more information, contact the APIAHF Policy Division staff:
Gem Daus, Legislative and Government Affairs Coordinator, GDaus@apiahf.org
