What Works to Move Welfare Recipients into Jobs Act

Summary: What Works to Move Welfare Recipients into Jobs Act This bill amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title VI of the Social Security Act to revise requirements for research by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the benefits, effects, and costs of operating different state programs funded under part A and any other state program funded with qualified state expenditures. (Sec. 2) Such research shall focus on the effect of these programs as well as of healthy marriage promotion and responsible fatherhood grants on employment, self-sufficiency, child well-being, unmarried births, marriage, poverty, economic mobility, and other factors determined by HHS. A state's contribution to the cost of a state-initiated evaluation of its program, from non-federal sources, shall increase from at least 10% to at least 25% of the cost of the proposed evaluation.  The Bureau of the Census shall implement or enhance household surveys of program participation to allow for assessment of the outcomes of continued welfare reform on the economic and child well-being of low-income families with children, including those who received assistance or services from a state program funded under TANF or any other state program funded with qualified state expenditures. Research and evaluation designed to determine the effects of a program or policy (other than Census Bureau research) shall use experimental designs using random assignment or other reliable, evidence-based research methodologies that allow for the strongest possible casual inferences when random assignment is not feasible. HHS shall develop a database of the projects that used a proven or a promising approach in moving welfare recipients into work, which shall be called the What Works Clearinghouse of Proven and Promising Projects to Move Welfare Recipients into Work.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``What Works to Move Welfare 
Recipients into Jobs Act''.

SEC. 2. STRENGTHENING WELFARE RESEARCH AND EVALUATION AND DEVELOPMENT 
              OF A WHAT WORKS CLEARINGHOUSE.

    Section 413 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 613) is amended 
to read as follows:

``SEC. 413. EVALUATION OF TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES AND 
              RELATED PROGRAMS.

    ``(a) Evaluation of the Impacts of TANF.--The Secretary shall 
conduct research on the effect of State programs funded under this part 
and any other State program funded with qualified State expenditures 
(as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) on employment, self-
sufficiency, child well-being, unmarried births, marriage, poverty, 
economic mobility, and other factors as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(b) Evaluation of Grants to Improve Child Well-being by Promoting 
Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood.--The Secretary shall 
conduct research to determine the effects of the grants made under 
section 403(a)(2) on child well-being, marriage, family stability, 
economic mobility, poverty, and other factors as determined by the 
Secretary.
    ``(c) Dissemination of Information.--The Secretary shall, in 
consultation with States receiving funds provided under this part, 
develop methods of disseminating information on any research, 
evaluation, or study conducted under this section, including 
facilitating the sharing of information and best practices among States 
and localities.
    ``(d) State-initiated Evaluations.--A State shall be eligible to 
receive funding to evaluate the State program funded under this part or 
any other State program funded with qualified State expenditures (as 
defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) if--
            ``(1) the State submits to the Secretary a description of 
        the proposed evaluation;
            ``(2) the Secretary determines that the design and approach 
        of the proposed evaluation is rigorous and is likely to yield 
        information that is credible and will be useful to other 
        States; and
            ``(3) unless waived by the Secretary, the State contributes 
        to the cost of the evaluation, from non-Federal sources, an 
        amount equal to at least 25 percent of the cost of the proposed 
        evaluation.
    ``(e) Census Bureau Research.--
            ``(1) The Bureau of the Census shall implement or enhance 
        household surveys of program participation, in consultation 
        with the Secretary and the Burueau of Labor Statistics and made 
        available to interested parties, to allow for the assessment of 
        the outcomes of continued welfare reform on the economic and 
        child well-being of low-income families with children, 
        including those who received assistance or services from a 
        State program funded under this part or any other State program 
        funded with qualified State expenditures (as defined in section 
        409(a)(7)(B)(i)). The content of the surveys should include 
        such information as may be necessary to examine the issues of 
        unmarried childbearing, marriage, welfare dependency and 
        compliance with work requirements, the beginning and ending of 
        spells of assistance, work, earnings and employment stability, 
        and the well-being of children.
            ``(2) To carry out the activities specified in paragraph 
        (1), the Bureau of the Census, the Secretary, and the Bureau of 
        Labor Statistics shall consider ways to improve the surveys and 
        data derived from the surveys to--
                    ``(A) address underreporting of the receipt of 
                means-tested benefits and tax benefits for low-income 
                individuals and families;
                    ``(B) increase understanding of poverty spells and 
                long-term poverty, including by facilitating the 
                matching of information to better understand 
                intergenerational poverty;
                    ``(C) generate a better geographical understanding 
                of poverty such as through State-based estimates and 
                measures of neighborhood poverty;
                    ``(D) increase understanding of the effects of 
                means-tested benefits and tax benefits on the earnings 
                of low-income families; and
                    ``(E) improve how poverty and economic well-being 
                are measured, including through the use of consumption 
                measures.
    ``(f) Research and Evaluation Conducted Under This Section.--
Research and evaluation conducted under this section designed to 
determine the effects of a program or policy (other than research 
conducted under subsection (e)) shall use experimental designs using 
random assignment or other reliable, evidence-based research 
methodologies that allow for the strongest possible causal inferences 
when random assignment is not feasible.
    ``(g) Development of What Works Clearinghouse of Proven and 
Promising Approaches to Move Welfare Recipients Into Work.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
        Secretary of Labor, shall develop a database (which shall be 
        referred to as the `What Works Clearinghouse of Proven and 
        Promising Projects to Move Welfare Recipients into Work') of 
        the projects that used a proven approach or a promising 
        approach in moving welfare recipients into work, based on 
        independent, rigorous evaluations of the projects. The database 
        shall include a separate listing of projects that used a 
        developmental approach in delivering services and a further 
        separate listing of the projects with no or negative effects. 
        The Secretary shall add to the What Works Clearinghouse of 
        Proven and Promising Projects to Move Welfare Recipients into 
        Work data about the projects that, based on an independent, 
        well-conducted experimental evaluation of a program or project, 
        using random assignment or other research methodologies that 
        allow for the strongest possible causal inferences, have shown 
        they are proven, promising, developmental, or ineffective 
        approaches.
            ``(2) Criteria for evidence of effectiveness of approach.--
        The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor and 
        organizations with experience in evaluating research on the 
        effectiveness of various approaches in delivering services to 
        move welfare recipients into work, shall--
                    ``(A) establish criteria for evidence of 
                effectiveness; and
                    ``(B) ensure that the process for establishing the 
                criteria--
                            ``(i) is transparent;
                            ``(ii) is consistent across agencies;
                            ``(iii) provides opportunity for public 
                        comment; and
                            ``(iv) takes into account efforts of 
                        Federal agencies to identify and publicize 
                        effective interventions, including efforts at 
                        the Department of Health and Human Services, 
                        the Department of Education, and the Department 
                        of Justice.
            ``(3) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Approach.--The term `approach' means a 
                process, product, strategy, or practice that is--
                            ``(i) research-based, based on the results 
                        of 1 or more empirical studies, and linked to 
                        program-determined outcomes; and
                            ``(ii) evaluated using rigorous research 
                        designs.
                    ``(B) Proven approach.--The term `proven approach' 
                means an approach that--
                            ``(i) meets the requirements of a promising 
                        approach; and
                            ``(ii) has demonstrated significant 
                        positive outcomes at more than 1 site in terms 
                        of increasing work and earnings of 
                        participants, reducing poverty and dependence, 
                        or strengthening families.
                    ``(C) Promising approach.--The term `promising 
                approach' means an approach--
                            ``(i) that meets the requirements of 
                        subparagraph (D)(i);
                            ``(ii) that has been evaluated using well-
                        designed and rigorous randomized controlled or 
                        quasi-experimental research designs;
                            ``(iii) that has demonstrated significant 
                        positive outcomes at only 1 site in terms of 
                        increasing work and earnings of participants, 
                        reducing poverty and dependence, or 
                        strengthening families; and
                            ``(iv) under which the benefits of the 
                        positive outcomes have exceeded the costs of 
                        achieving the outcomes.
                    ``(D) Developmental approach.--The term 
                `developmental approach' means an approach that--
                            ``(i) is research-based, grounded in 
                        relevant empirically-based knowledge, and 
                        linked to program-determined outcomes;
                            ``(ii) is evaluated using rigorous research 
                        designs; and
                            ``(iii) has yet to demonstrate a 
                        significant positive outcome in terms of 
                        increasing work and earnings of participants in 
                        a cost-effective way.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    The amendment made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 
2016.