I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3434 

To amend part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to require a State 

to deny assistance under the program of block grants to States for 

temporary assistance for needy families to a parent, caretaker relative, 

or legal guardian of a child who is not attending enough school, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 30, 2013 

Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. SOUTHERLAND, and Mr. YOUNG of Indiana) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways 

and Means 

A BILL 

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

to require a State to deny assistance under the program 

of block grants to States for temporary assistance for 

needy families to a parent, caretaker relative, or legal 

guardian of a child who is not attending enough school, 

and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Parental Account5 ability for Reducing Child Poverty Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DENIAL OF TANF ASSISTANCE TO PARENT, CARE2 TAKER RELATIVE, OR LEGAL GUARDIAN OF 

3 CHILD NOT ATTENDING ENOUGH SCHOOL. 

4 (a) PROHIBITION.—Section 408(a) of the Social Se5 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)) is amended by adding at 

6 the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(13) NO ASSISTANCE FOR PARENT, CARE8 TAKER RELATIVE, OR LEGAL GUARDIAN OF CHILD

9 NOT ATTENDING ENOUGH SCHOOL.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State to which a 

11 grant is made under section 403 shall not use 

12 any part of the grant to provide assistance to 

13 an individual who is a parent, caretaker rel14 ative, or legal guardian of a child who has at15 tained 6 years of age but has not attained 19 

16 years of age, unless, in the most recently com17 pleted school year— 

18 ‘‘(i) in the case of a child not referred 

19 to in clause (ii), the child attended school 

20 for at least the number of days that con21 stituted the minimum school attendance 

22 then required under applicable State law 

23 for children who were then within the 

24 State’s compulsory school attendance age 

25 range (regardless of whether the age of the 

26 child was within that age range); or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) in the case of a child who at2 tended a school that was treated as a home 

3 school under State law, the child met all 

4 applicable State requirements with respect 

5 to such a school. 

6 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTIONS.—A State may elect to 

7 not apply subparagraph (A) to a child— 

8 ‘‘(i) who is enrolled, and making satis9 factory progress, in a vocational education 

10 institution or an institution of higher edu11 cation (as defined in section 101(a) of the 

12 Higher Education Act of 1965); or 

13 ‘‘(ii) whose failure to attend school for 

14 at least the number of days referred to in 

15 subparagraph (A) of this paragraph in a 

16 school year is attributable to— 

17 ‘‘(I) medical reasons (including 

18 quarantine), as certified by the ad19 ministrator of the school attended by 

20 the child; or 

21 ‘‘(II) a natural disaster in the 

22 United States, or a major disaster or 

23 emergency designated by the Presi24 dent under the Robert T. Stafford 


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1 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist2 ance Act.’’. 

3 (b) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) of such Act (42 

4 U.S.C. 609(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(17) FAILURE OF STATE TO DENY ASSISTANCE

7 TO PARENT, CARETAKER RELATIVE, OR LEGAL

8 GUARDIAN OF CHILD NOT ATTENDING ENOUGH

9 SCHOOL.—The Secretary shall reduce the grant pay10 able to a State under section 403(a)(1) for a fiscal 

11 year by the amount of any assistance paid by the 

12 State in violation of section 408(a)(13) in the pre13 ceding fiscal year.’’. 

14 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

15 this section shall take effect on October 1, 2015, and shall 

16 apply to attendance in school years beginning on or after 

17 August 1, 2014. 

Æ 


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