I

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 220

To amend title IV of the Social Security Act to deny aid to families with

dependent children to certain individuals for any week in which the

individuals work or attend courses at an educational institution for fewer

than 30 hours.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JANUARY 4, 1995

Mr. CUNNINGHAM introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Ways and Means

A BILL

To amend title IV of the Social Security Act to deny aid

to families with dependent children to certain individuals

for any week in which the individuals work or attend

courses at an educational institution for fewer than 30

hours.

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 ‘‘Responsible Welfare

5 Act of 1995’’.
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1 SEC. 2. DENIAL OF AFDC BENEFITS TO CERTAIN INDIVID2 UALS SPENDING FEWER THAN 30 HOURS PER

3 WEEK AT WORK OR ATTENDING COURSES AT

4 AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION.

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (29) of section 402(a)

6 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 602(a)(29)) is

7 amended by inserting after paragraph (28) the following:

8 ‘‘(29) provide that—

9 ‘‘(A) during the 3-year period beginning on

10 the effective date of this paragraph the State

11 may, and thereafter the State must, require a

12 recipient of aid under the plan (other than one

13 described in clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph

14 (19)(C)) to spend 30 hours per week at work

15 (whether or not paid) as directed by the State

16 or attending courses at an educational institu17 tion, if—

18 ‘‘(i) all of the dependent children of

19 the recipient are enrolled in a preschool

20 program or attend, full-time, an elemen21 tary, secondary, or vocational (or tech22 nical) school; or

23 ‘‘(ii) the recipient has received aid

24 under any number of State plans under

25 this part for at least 84 months (whether

26 or not consecutively); and
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1 ‘‘(B) aid under this part may not be pro2 vided to any individual to whom the require3 ments of subparagraph (A) apply, for any week

4 during which the individual fails to meet such

5 requirements.’’.

6 (b) STATE PAYMENTS REDUCED FOR NONCOMPLI7 ANCE.—Section 403 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 603) is

8 amended by adding at the end the following:

9 ‘‘(o)(1) The Secretary shall reduce the amount other10 wise payable to a State under this section for any fiscal

11 year by the applicable percentage if the Secretary finds

12 that the State plan approved under this part was not car13 ried out in substantial compliance with section 402(a)(29)

14 during any calendar quarter of the immediately preceding

15 fiscal year.

16 ‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), the term ‘appli17 cable percentage’ means—

18 ‘‘(A) 30 percent, if the failure to substantially

19 comply occurred for 3 or more calendar quarters;

20 ‘‘(B) 20 percent, if the failure to substantially

21 comply occurred for 2 calendar quarters; or

22 ‘‘(C) 15 percent, if the failure to substantially

23 comply occurred for 1 calendar quarter.’’.

24 (c) REGULATIONS.—Within 2 years after the effective

25 date of this section, the Secretary of Health and Human
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1 Services shall promulgate such regulations as may be nec2 essary to carry out the amendments made by this section.

3 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by

4 this section shall take effect on the first day of the first

5 calendar quarter that begins after the date of the enact6 ment of this Act, and shall apply to payments under part

7 A of title IV of the Social Security Act for calendar quar8 ters beginning after such date of enactment.

Æ