II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1288 

To require States to implement a cash withdrawal daily limit for recipients 

of cash assistance under the temporary assistance for needy families program. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 12, 2015 

Mr. VITTER introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Finance 

A BILL 

To require States to implement a cash withdrawal daily 

limit for recipients of cash assistance 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 ‘‘Welfare Abuse Preven5 tion Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CASH WITHDRAWAL DAILY LIMIT FOR ASSISTANCE 

7 UNDER STATE TANF PROGRAMS. 

8 (a) STATE REQUIREMENT.—Section 408(a)(12) of 

9 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(12)) is amend10 ed— 

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•S 1288 IS

1 (1) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as sub2 paragraph (C); and 

3 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the fol4 lowing new subparagraph: 

5 ‘‘(B) CASH WITHDRAWAL DAILY LIMIT.—A 

6 State to which a grant is made under section 

7 403 shall maintain policies and practices as 

8 necessary to ensure that cash assistance dis9 bursed through an electronic benefit transfer 

10 card or an electronic payment card shall not be 

11 used to withdraw more than $25 per day from 

12 an automated teller machine or through a cash13 back procedure at a point-of-sale terminal that 

14 is located in a place that is not prohibited from 

15 being used under subparagraph (A).’’. 

16 (b) PENALTY.—Section 409(a)(16) of such Act (42 

17 U.S.C. 609(a)(16)) is amended— 

18 (1) in subparagraph (A)— 

19 (A) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as 

20 subclauses (I) and (II), respectively, and re21 aligning the left margins accordingly; 

22 (B) by striking ‘‘section 408(a)(12)’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘section 408(a)(12)(A)’’; 

24 (C) by striking ‘‘If, within’’ and inserting 

25 the following: 

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•S 1288 IS

1 ‘‘(i) PROHIBITED PLACES FOR SPEND2 ING OF BENEFITS.—If, within’’; and 

3 (D) by adding at the end the following new 

4 clause: 

5 ‘‘(ii) CASH WITHDRAWAL DAILY

6 LIMIT.—If, within 2 years after the date of 

7 the Welfare Abuse Prevention Act, any 

8 State has not reported to the Secretary on 

9 such State’s implementation of the policies 

10 and practices required by section 

11 408(a)(12)(B), or the Secretary deter12 mines, based on the information provided 

13 in State reports, that any State has not 

14 implemented and maintained such policies 

15 and practices, the Secretary shall reduce to 

16 $0 the State family assistance grant pay17 able to the State under section 403(a)(1) 

18 for— 

19 ‘‘(I) the fiscal year immediately 

20 succeeding the year in which such 2- 

21 year period ends; and 

22 ‘‘(II) each succeeding fiscal year 

23 in which the State does not dem24 onstrate that such State has implemstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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•S 1288 IS

1 mented and maintained such policies 

2 and practices.’’; 

3 (2) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘clause 

4 (i) or (ii) of’’ before ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’; and 

5 (3) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘clause 

6 (i) or (ii) of’’ before ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’. 

7 (c) ADDITIONAL STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Sec8 tion 402(a)(1)(A) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 602(a)(1)(A)) 

9 is amended— 

10 (1) in clause (vii), by striking ‘‘section 

11 408(a)(12)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 408(a)(12)(A), 

12 and to comply with the cash withdrawal daily limit 

13 required under section 408(a)(12)(B)’’; and 

14 (2) in clause (viii), by inserting ‘‘the cash with15 drawal daily limit and’’ after ‘‘information on’’. 

Æ 

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