II 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2286 

To amend part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to eliminate the 

separate work participation rate for 2-parent families under the temporary assistance for needy families program. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2006 

Mr. OBAMA (for himself and Mr. BAYH) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To amend part A of title IV of the Social Security Act 

to eliminate the separate work participation rate for 2- 

parent families under the temporary assistance for needy 

families program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Equality for Two-Par5 ent Families Act of 2006’’. 
2 

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1 SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF SEPARATE WORK PARTICIPATION 

2 RATE FOR 2-PARENT FAMILIES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 407 of the Social Security 

4 Act (42 U.S.C. 607) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a)— 

6 (A) beginning in the heading, by striking 

7 ‘‘PARTICIPATION RATE REQUIREMENTS’’ and 

8 all that follows through ‘‘A State’’ in paragraph 

9 (1) and inserting ‘‘PARTICIPATION RATE RE10 QUIREMENTS.—A State’’; and 

11 (B) by striking paragraph (2); 

12 (2) in subsection (b)— 

13 (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘sub14 section (a)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (a)’’; 

15 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert16 ing the following: 

17 ‘‘(2) FAMILY WITH A DISABLED PARENT NOT

18 TREATED AS A 2-PARENT FAMILY.—A family that in19 cludes a disabled parent shall not be considered a 2- 

20 parent family for purposes of this section.’’; 

21 (C) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘para22 graphs (1)(B) and (2)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘de23 termining monthly participation rates under 

24 paragraph (1)(B)’’; and 

25 (D) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘rates’’ 

26 and inserting ‘‘rate’’; and 
3 

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1 (3) in subsection (c)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (1)(B), in the matter 

3 preceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘subsection 

4 (b)(2)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 

5 (b)(1)(B)(i)’’; and 

6 (B) in paragraph (2)(D)— 

7 (i) by striking ‘‘paragraphs (1)(B)(i) 

8 and (2)(B) of subsection (b)’’ and insert9 ing ‘‘subsection (b)(1)(B)(i)’’; and 

10 (ii) by striking ‘‘and in 2-parent fami11 lies, respectively,’’. 

12 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The amendments made by 

14 subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of enact15 ment of this Act and shall apply to the determina16 tion of minimum participation rates for months be17 ginning on or after that date. 

18 (2) LIMITATION ON PENALTY IMPOSITION.— 

19 Notwithstanding section 409(a)(3) of the Social Se20 curity Act, the Secretary of Health and Human 

21 Services shall not impose a penalty against a State 

22 under that section on the basis of the State’s failure 

23 to satisfy the participation rate required for fiscal 

24 year 2006 if the State demonstrates that the State 

25 would have met such requirement if, with respect to 
4 

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1 those months of fiscal year 2006 that began prior to 

2 or on the date of enactment of this Act, the State 

3 were permitted to count 2-parent families that met 

4 the requirements of section 407(c)(1)(A) of the So5 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 607(c)(1)(A)) in the de6 termination of monthly participation rates under 

7 section 407(b)(1)(B)(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 

8 607(b)(1)(B)(i)). 

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