TANF Stays the Same for Now
October 15, 2003
For the second year in a row, Congress has failed to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. This means that TANF will continue in its current form and funding level until Congress acts, perhaps early next year. Currently, lawfully present immigrants who have been in the U.S. less than 5 years are barred from receiving assistance.
The House bill (HR 4) passed in February 2003. The Senate version passed out of the Senate Finance Committee on September 10, 2003. Neither bill included the Immigrant Child Health Improvement Act (ICHIA), which would have allowed states to use Medicaid funds for prenatal care for lawfully present immigrant women.
For more information, you can visit the following resources:
1. Asian & Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence www.apiahf.org/apidvinstitute
Look under "Research & Policy" then "Policy Advocacy"
2. Hmong National Development www.hndlink.org/welfare.htm
3. Southeast Asia Resource Action Center www.searac.org
Look under "Advocacy"
4. The 50-page outline of Chairman Grassley's TANF Reauthorization mark is now available on the Coalition on Human Needs website. The mark is available in a series of 5 pdf files. To access the pdfs, click here http://www.chn.org/issues
For more information, contact the APIAHF Policy Division
staff:
Gem Daus, Legislative and Government Affairs Coordinator, GDaus@apiahf.org
