I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 692

To provide for racial equity and fair treatment under the program of block 

grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 11, 2003

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas (for herself, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. 

TOWNS, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. OWENS, Mr. 

CUMMINGS, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. NORTON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. LEE, 

Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, and Mr. 

LANTOS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL

To provide for racial equity and fair treatment under the 

program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families.

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 ‘‘Racial Equity and Fair 

5 Treatment Act of 2003’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

7 The table of contents of this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title. 
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Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

Sec. 3. Amendment of Social Security Act. 

TITLE I—ENSURING EQUAL ACCESS 

Sec. 101. Competitive grants to improve access to various benefit programs. 

Sec. 102. Assessments for TANF recipients. 

Sec. 103. Revision of work activities. 

Sec. 104. Provision of interpretation and translation services. 

TITLE II—STRENGTHENING FAIR TREATMENT AND 

ANTIDISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS 

Subtitle A—Strengthening and Streamlining of Antidiscrimination Protections 

Sec. 201. Requirement to establish expedited process for discrimination complaints. 

Sec. 202. Establishment of standardized, fair sanction process. 

Sec. 203. Requirement to provide opportunity to appeal adverse decision. 

Sec. 204. Notification of potential services and protections. 

Sec. 204. Penalties against individuals for unjustified refusal to work; additional justifications. 

Sec. 205. Requirement to provide information to individuals who are, or are at 

risk of being, sanctioned. 

Sec. 206. Nondiscrimination. 

Sec. 207. Ban on diversion of potential applicants for assistance. 

Subtitle B—Related Provisions 

Sec. 211. Ban on penalizing entire family for misconduct of 1 family member. 

Sec. 212. Eliminate double jeopardy for recipients with past drug offenses. 

Sec. 213. 5-year time limit. 

TITLE III—FAIRNESS FOR IMMIGRANTS 

Sec. 301. Treatment of aliens under the TANF program. 

Sec. 302. Treatment of aliens under the SSI program. 

Sec. 303. Inclusion of participation in English-as-a-second-language program 

among permissible work activities. 

TITLE IV—ENCOURAGE RACIAL EQUALITY 

Sec. 401. Racial performance measure as evaluation criterion in determining 

high performance bonus. 

Sec. 402. Ban on violating antidiscrimination law. 

Sec. 403. Data collection and reporting. 

Sec. 404. Access to welfare; welfare outcomes. 

Sec. 405. Longitudinal studies of TANF recipients.

1 SEC. 3. AMENDMENT OF SOCIAL SECURITY ACT. 

2 Except as otherwise expressly provided, wherever in 

3 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 

4 of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi-
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1 sion, the amendment or repeal shall be considered to be 

2 made to a section or other provision of the Social Security 

3 Act. 

4 TITLE I—ENSURING EQUAL 

5 ACCESS 

6 SEC. 101. COMPETITIVE GRANTS TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO 

7 VARIOUS BENEFIT PROGRAMS. 

8 (a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are 

9 to—

10 (1) inform low-income families with children 

11 about programs available to families leaving welfare 

12 and other programs to support low-income families 

13 with children; 

14 (2) provide incentives to States and counties to 

15 improve and coordinate application and renewal pro16 cedures for low-income family with children support 

17 programs; and 

18 (3) track the extent to which low-income fami19 lies with children receive the benefits and services 

20 for which they are eligible. 

21 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

22 (1) LOCALITY.—The term ‘‘locality’’ means a 

23 municipality that does not administer a program 

24 funded under part A of title IV of the Social Secu25 rity Act (in this section referred to as ‘‘TANF’’). 
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1 (2) LOW-INCOME FAMILY WITH CHILDREN SUP2 PORT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘low-income family with 

3 children support program’’ means a program de4 signed to provide low-income families with assistance 

5 or benefits to enable the family to become self-suffi6 cient and includes—

7 (A) TANF; 

8 (B) the food stamp program established 

9 under the Food Stamp Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

10 2011 et seq.) (in this section referred to as 

11 ‘‘food stamps’’); 

12 (C) the medicaid program funded under 

13 title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

14 1396 et seq.); 

15 (D) the State children’s health insurance 

16 program (SCHIP) funded under title XXI of 

17 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1397aa et 

18 seq.); 

19 (E) the child care program funded under 

20 the Child Care Development Block Grant Act of 

21 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.);

22 (F) the child support program funded 

23 under part D of title IV of the Social Security 

24 Act (42 U.S.C. 651 et seq.); 
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1 (G) the earned income tax credit under 

2 section 32 of the Internal Revenue Code of 

3 1986; 

4 (H) the low-income home energy assistance 

5 program (LIHEAP) established under the Low6 Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 

7 (42 U.S.C 8621 et seq.); 

8 (I) the special supplemental nutrition pro9 gram for women, infants, and children (WIC) 

10 established under section 17 of the Child Nutri11 tion Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786); 

12 (J) programs under the Workforce Invest13 ment Act of 1998 (29 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.); and 

14 (K) any other Federal or State funded pro15 gram designed to provide family and work sup16 port to low-income families with children. 

17 (3) NONPROFIT.—The term ‘‘nonprofit’’, as ap18 plied to a school, agency, organization, or institution 

19 means a school, agency, organization, or institution 

20 owned and operated by 1 or more nonprofit corpora21 tions or associations, no part of the net earnings of 

22 which inures, or may lawfully inure, to the benefit 

23 of any private shareholder or individual. 

24 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

25 the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
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1 (5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

2 the several States of the United States, the District 

3 of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 

4 American Samoa, Guam, and the United States Vir5 gin Islands. 

6 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF GRANTS.—

7 (1) STATES AND COUNTIES.—

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

9 award grants to States and counties to pay the 

10 Federal share of the costs involved in improving 

11 the administration of low-income family with 

12 children support programs, including simpli13 fying application, recertification, reporting, and 

14 verification rules, and promoting participation 

15 in such programs. 

16 (B) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share 

17 shall be 80 percent. 

18 (2) NONPROFITS AND LOCALITIES.—The Sec19 retary may award grants to nonprofits and localities 

20 to promote participation in low-income family with 

21 children support programs, and distribute informa22 tion about and develop service centers for low-in23 come family with children support programs. 

24 (d) GRANT APPROVAL CRITERIA.—
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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consulta2 tion with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall establish 

3 criteria for approval of an application for a grant 

4 under this section that include consideration of— 

5 (A) the extent to which the proposal, if 

6 funded, is likely to result in improved service 

7 and higher participation rates in low-income 

8 children’s support programs; 

9 (B) an applicant’s ability to reach hard-to10 serve populations; 

11 (C) the level of innovation in the appli12 cant’s grant proposal; and 

13 (D) any partnerships between the public 

14 and private sector in the applicant’s grant pro15 posal. 

16 (2) SEPARATE CRITERIA.—Separate criteria 

17 shall be established for the grants authorized under 

18 paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (c). 

19 (e) USES OF FUNDS.—

20 (1) STATES AND COUNTIES.—

21 (A) IMPROVEMENTS IN PROGRAMS.—

22 Grants awarded to States and counties under 

23 subsection (c)(1) shall be used to—

24 (i) simplify low-income family with 

25 children support program application, re-
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1 certification, reporting, and verification 

2 rules; 

3 (ii) create uniformity in eligibility cri4 teria for low-income family with children 

5 support programs; 

6 (iii) develop options for families to 

7 apply for low-income family with children 

8 support programs through the telephone, 

9 mail, facsimile, Internet, or electronic mail, 

10 and submit any recertifications or reports 

11 required for such families through these 

12 options; 

13 (iv) co-locate eligibility workers for 

14 various low-income family with children 

15 support programs at strategically located 

16 sites; 

17 (v) develop or enhance one-stop serv18 ice centers for low-income family with chil19 dren support programs, including estab20 lishing evening and weekend hours at these 

21 centers; and 

22 (vi) improve training of staff in low23 income families with children support pro24 grams to enhance their ability to enroll eli25 gible applicants in low-income family with 
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1 children support programs, provide case 

2 management, and refer eligible applicants 

3 to other appropriate programs. 

4 (B) CUSTOMER SURVEYS.—

5 (i) IN GENERAL.—A grant awarded to 

6 a State or county under subsection (c)(1) 

7 shall be used to carry out a customer sur8 vey. 

9 (ii) MODEL SURVEYS.—The customer 

10 survey under clause (i) of this subpara11 graph shall be modeled after a form devel12 oped by the Secretary under subsection 

13 (g). 

14 (iii) REPORTS TO SECRETARY.—Not 

15 later than 1 year after a State or county 

16 is awarded a grant under subsection (c)(1), 

17 and annually thereafter, the State or coun18 ty shall submit a report to the Secretary 

19 detailing the results of the customer survey

20 carried out under clause (i) of this sub21 paragraph. 

22 (iv) REPORTS TO PUBLIC.—A State or 

23 county receiving a grant under subsection 

24 (c)(1) and the Secretary shall make the re-
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1 port required under clause (iii) of this sub2 paragraph available to the public. 

3 (v) PUBLIC COMMENT.—A State or 

4 county receiving a grant under subsection 

5 (c)(1) shall accept public comments and 

6 hold public hearings on the report made 

7 available under clause (iv) of this subpara8 graph. 

9 (C) TRACKING SYSTEMS.—

10 (i) IN GENERAL.—A grant awarded to 

11 a State or county under subsection (c)(1) 

12 shall be used to implement a tracking sys13 tem to determine the level of participation 

14 in low-income family with children support 

15 programs of the eligible population. 

16 (ii) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year 

17 after a State or county is awarded a grant 

18 under subsection (c)(1), and annually 

19 thereafter, the State or county shall submit 

20 a report to the Secretary detailing the ef21 fectiveness of the tracking system imple22 mented under clause (i) of this subpara23 graph. 

24 (D) IN-PERSON INTERVIEWS.—A State or 

25 county awarded a grant under subsection (c)(1)
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1 may expend funds made available under the 

2 grant to provide for reporting and recertifi3 cation procedures through the telephone, mail, 

4 facsimile, Internet, or electronic mail. 

5 (E) JURISDICTION-WIDE IMPLEMENTA6 TION.—

7 (i) IN GENERAL.—A grant awarded to 

8 a State or county under subsection (c)(1) 

9 shall be used for activities throughout the 

10 jurisdiction. 

11 (ii) EXCEPTION.—A State or county 

12 awarded a grant under subsection (c)(1) 

13 may use grant funds to develop one-stop 

14 service centers and telephone, mail, fac15 simile, Internet, or electronic mail applica16 tion and renewal procedures for low-income 

17 family with children support programs 

18 without regard to the requirements of 

19 clause (i) of this subparagraph. 

20 (F) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Funds 

21 provided to a State or county under a grant 

22 awarded under subsection (c)(1) shall be used 

23 to supplement and not supplant other State or 

24 county public funds expended to provide sup25 port services for low-income families. 
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1 (2) NONPROFITS AND LOCALITIES.—A grant 

2 awarded to a nonprofit or locality under subsection 

3 (c)(2) shall be used to—

4 (A) develop one-stop service centers for 

5 low-income family with children support pro6 grams in cooperation with States and counties; 

7 or 

8 (B) provide information about and refer9 rals to low-income family with children support 

10 programs through the dissemination of mate11 rials at strategic locations, including schools, 

12 clinics, and shopping locations. 

13 (f) APPLICATION.—

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each applicant desiring a 

15 grant under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (c) 

16 shall submit an application to the Secretary at such 

17 time, in such manner, and accompanied by such in18 formation as the Secretary may reasonably require. 

19 (2) STATES AND COUNTIES.—

20 (A) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—Each State or 

21 county applicant shall provide assurances that 

22 the applicant will pay the non-Federal share of 

23 the activities for which a grant is sought. 

24 (B) PARTNERSHIPS.—Each State or coun25 ty applicant shall submit a memorandum of un-
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1 derstanding demonstrating that the applicant 

2 has entered into a partnership to coordinate its 

3 efforts under the grant with the efforts of other 

4 State and county agencies that have responsi5 bility for providing low-income families with as6 sistance or benefits. 

7 (g) DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.—

8 (1) SURVEY FORM.—The Secretary, in coopera9 tion with other relevant agencies, shall develop a 

10 customer survey form to determine whether low-in11 come families—

12 (A) encounter any impediments in applying 

13 for or renewing their participation in low-in14 come family with children support programs; 

15 and 

16 (B) are unaware of low-income family with 

17 children support programs for which they are 

18 eligible. 

19 (2) REPORTS.—

20 (A) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than 1 

21 year after the date of enactment of this Act, 

22 and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 

23 submit a report to Congress describing the uses 

24 of grant funds awarded under this section. 
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1 (B) RESULTS OF TRACKING SYSTEMS AND

2 SURVEYS.—The Secretary shall submit a report 

3 to Congress detailing the results of the tracking 

4 systems implemented and customer surveys car5 ried out by States and counties under sub6 section (e) as the information becomes avail7 able. 

8 (h) MISCELLANEOUS.—

9 (1) MATCHING FUNDS.—Matching funds re10 quired from a State or county awarded a grant 

11 under subsection (c)(1) of this section may—

12 (A) include in-kind services and expendi13 tures by municipalities and private entities; and 

14 (B) be considered a qualified State expend15 iture for purposes of determining whether the 

16 State has satisfied the maintenance of effort re17 quirements of the temporary assistance for 

18 needy families program under section 409(a)(7) 

19 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

20 609(a)(7)).

21 (2) LIMITATION ON EXPENDITURES.—Subject 

22 to paragraph (3) of this subsection, not more than 

23 20 percent of a grant awarded under subsection (c) 

24 shall be expended on customer surveys or tracking 

25 systems. 
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1 (3) REVERSION OF FUNDS.—Any funds not ex2 pended by a grantee within 2 years after awarded a 

3 grant shall be available for redistribution among 

4 other grantees in such manner and amount as the 

5 Secretary may determine, unless the Secretary ex6 tends by regulation the 2-year time period to expend 

7 funds. 

8 (4) NONAPPORTIONMENT.—Notwithstanding 

9 any other provision of law, a State, county, locality, 

10 or nonprofit awarded a grant under subsection (c) is 

11 not required to apportion the costs of providing in12 formation about low-income family with children 

13 support programs among all low-income family with 

14 children support programs. 

15 (5) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS OF THE SEC16 RETARY.—Not more than 5 percent of the funds ap17 propriated to carry out this section shall be ex18 pended on administrative costs of the Secretary. 

19 (i) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA20 TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry 

21 out this section not more than $300,000,000 for fiscal 

22 years 2003 through 2007. 

23 SEC. 102. ASSESSMENTS FOR TANF RECIPIENTS. 

24 Section 408(b) (42 U.S.C. 608(b)) is amended—
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1 (1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(1) ASSESSMENT.—The State agency respon4 sible for administering the State program funded 

5 under this part shall, for each recipient of assistance 

6 under the program who is a head of household, 

7 make an initial assessment of the skills, prior work 

8 experience, and circumstances related to the employ9 ability of the recipient, including physical or mental 

10 impairments, proficiency in English, child care 

11 needs, and whether the recipient is a victim of do12 mestic violence.’’; and 

13 (2) by striking paragraph (4). 

14 SEC. 103. REVISION OF WORK ACTIVITIES. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 407(d) (42 U.S.C. 

16 607(d)) is amended—

17 (1) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the 

18 following: 

19 ‘‘(4) transitional work experience leading to 

20 jobs that provide an income of not less than 250 

21 percent of the poverty line;’’; 

22 (2) by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the 

23 following: 

24 ‘‘(7) voluntary participation in a community 

25 service program;’’; 
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1 (3) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘(not to ex2 ceed 12 months with respect to any individual)’’; 

3 and 

4 (4) by striking paragraphs (10) through (12) 

5 and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(10) participation in a State or Federal work7 study program under part C of title IV of the High8 er Education Act of 1965;’’; 

9 ‘‘(11) education, including not more than 6 

10 hours of home study per week, in the case of a re11 cipient who is enrolled—

12 ‘‘(A) at an elementary or secondary school 

13 (as defined in the Elementary and Secondary 

14 Education Act of 1965); 

15 ‘‘(B) in a course of study leading to adult 

16 literacy, English as a second language, or a cer17 tificate of high school equivalency; or 

18 ‘‘(C) at an institution of higher education 

19 (as defined in section 102 of the Higher Edu20 cation Act of 1965), regardless of the content 

21 of the course of study; 

22 ‘‘(12) the provision of appropriate care to a 

23 child who has a disability or a serious health condi24 tion (as defined in section 101(11) of the Family 

25 Medical Leave Act) or has not attained 6 years of 
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1 age, by a recipient who is a parent or caretaker rel2 ative of the child; and 

3 ‘‘(13) participation in treatment or an edu4 cational activity designed to address a mental health 

5 problem, disability, substance abuse, or domestic or 

6 sexual violence.’’. 

7 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 407 (42 

8 U.S.C. 607) is amended—

9 (1) in subsection (b), by striking paragraph (5); 

10 and 

11 (2) in subsection (c)—

12 (A) in each of subparagraphs (A) and 

13 (B)(i) of paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘not fewer 

14 than’’ and all that follows through ‘‘subsection 

15 (d),’’; 

16 (B) in paragraph (1)(B)(ii), by striking 

17 ‘‘not fewer than’’ and all that follows through 

18 ‘‘subsection (d)’’; and 

19 (C) in paragraph (2), by striking subpara20 graph (D). 

21 SEC. 104. PROVISION OF INTERPRETATION AND TRANS22 LATION SERVICES. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) (42 U.S.C. 608(a) 

24 is amended by adding at the end the following: 
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1 ‘‘(12) PROVISION OF INTERPRETATION AND

2 TRANSLATION SERVICES.—A State to which a grant 

3 is made under section 403(a) for a fiscal year shall 

4 provide appropriate interpretation and translation 

5 services at any office of the State program funded 

6 under this part that is responsible for handling the 

7 cases of 100 or more recipients of assistance under 

8 the program who share a native language that is not 

9 English.’’. 

10 (b) PENALTY.—Section 409(a)(7)(B)(ii) (42 U.S.C. 

11 609(a)(7)(B)(ii)) is amended by adding at the end the fol12 lowing: ‘‘The applicable percentage otherwise in effect 

13 with respect to a State for a fiscal year shall be increased 

14 by 5 percentage points if the Secretary determines that 

15 in the preceding fiscal year the State failed to comply with 

16 section 408(a)(12).’’.
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1 TITLE II—STRENGTHENING FAIR 

2 TREATMENT AND ANTI3 DISCRIMINATION PROTEC4 TIONS 

5 Subtitle A—Strengthening and 

6 Streamlining of Antidiscrimina7 tion Protections 

8 SEC. 201. REQUIREMENT TO ESTABLISH EXPEDITED PROC9 ESS FOR DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINTS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408 (42 U.S.C. 608) is 

11 further amended by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(13) REQUIREMENT TO ESTABLISH EXPE13 DITED PROCESS FOR DISCRIMINATION COM14 PLAINTS.—

15 ‘‘(A) INTAKE.—A State to which a grant is 

16 made under section 403 shall establish 1 cen17 tral location at which a recipient of assistance 

18 under the State program funded under this 

19 part may file with the State and have adju20 dicated a complaint alleging discriminatory 

21 treatment under the program. 

22 ‘‘(B) DEADLINES.—

23 ‘‘(i) Within 30 days after a recipient 

24 files a complaint pursuant to subparagraph
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1 (A), the State shall notify the recipient 

2 that the State has received the complaint. 

3 ‘‘(ii) Within 60 days after the State 

4 receives a complaint filed pursuant to sub5 paragraph (A), the State shall begin to in6 vestigate the complaint. 

7 ‘‘(iii) Within 90 days after the State 

8 receives a complaint filed pursuant to sub9 paragraph (A), the State shall adjudicate 

10 the complaint. 

11 ‘‘(3) NO INTERRUPTION IN ASSISTANCE WHILE

12 COMPLAINT IS PENDING.—During the pendency of a 

13 complaint filed pursuant to paragraph (1), assist14 ance to any recipient under a State program funded 

15 under this part shall not be affected by reason of the 

16 complaint.’’. 

17 (b) PENALTY.—Section 409(a)(7)(B)(ii) (42 U.S.C. 

18 609(a)(7)(B)(ii)) is amended by adding at the end the fol19 lowing: ‘‘The applicable percentage otherwise in effect 

20 with respect to a State for a fiscal year shall be increased 

21 by 5 percentage points if the Secretary determines that 

22 in the preceding fiscal year the State failed to comply with 

23 section 408(a)(13).’’. 
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1 SEC. 202. ESTABLISHMENT OF STANDARDIZED, FAIR SANC2 TION PROCESS. 

3 (a) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE NOTICE OF RIGHTS

4 OF RECIPIENTS, AND TRAIN PROGRAM PERSONNEL IN

5 RESPECTING THE RIGHTS.—

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) (42 U.S.C. 

7 608(a)) is further amended by adding at the end the 

8 following: 

9 ‘‘(14) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE NOTICE OF

10 RIGHTS OF RECIPIENTS, AND TRAIN PROGRAM PER11 SONNEL TO CARRY OUT PROGRAM CONSISTENT WITH

12 THE RIGHTS.—A State to which a grant is made 

13 under section 403 shall—

14 ‘‘(A) notify each recipient of assistance 

15 under the program of the rights of recipients 

16 under all laws applicable to the activities of the 

17 State program funded under this part, and 

18 shall provide the notice—

19 ‘‘(i) to a recipient when the recipient 

20 enters the program; 

21 ‘‘(ii) to all such recipients on a semi22 annual basis; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) orally and in writing, in the na24 tive language of the recipient and at a 6th 

25 grade level, and if the native language is 
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1 not English, a culturally competent trans2 lation shall be provided; and 

3 ‘‘(B) train all program personnel on a reg4 ular basis in how to carry out the program con5 sistent with the rights.’’. 

6 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a)(7)(B)(ii) (42 

7 U.S.C. 609(a)(7)(B)(ii)) is amended by adding at 

8 the end the following: ‘‘The applicable percentage 

9 otherwise in effect with respect to a State for a fis10 cal year shall be increased by 5 percentage points if 

11 the Secretary determines that in the preceding fiscal 

12 year the State failed to comply with section 

13 408(a)(14).’’. 

14 (b) REVIEW AND CONCILIATION PROCESS.—

15 (1) REQUIREMENT.—Section 408(a) (42 U.S.C. 

16 608(a)) is further amended by adding at the end the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(15) REVIEW AND CONCILIATION PROCESS RE19 QUIREMENTS.—A State to which a grant is made 

20 under section 403 shall not impose a sanction 

21 against a person under the State program funded 

22 under this part, unless the State—

23 ‘‘(A) has attempted at least twice (using at 

24 least 2 different methods) to notify the person 

25 of the impending imposition of the sanction, the 
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1 reason for the proposed sanction, the amount of 

2 the sanction, the length of time during which 

3 the proposed sanction would be in effect, and 

4 the steps required to come into compliance or to 

5 show good cause for noncompliance; 

6 ‘‘(B) has afforded the person an oppor7 tunity—

8 ‘‘(i) to meet with the caseworker in9 volved or another individual who has au10 thority to determine whether to impose the 

11 sanction; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) to explain why the person did not 

13 comply with the requirement on the basis 

14 of which the sanction is to be imposed; 

15 ‘‘(C) has considered and taken any such 

16 explanation into account in determining to im17 pose the sanction; 

18 ‘‘(D) has specifically considered whether 

19 certain conditions exist, such as a physical or 

20 mental impairment, domestic violence, or lim21 ited proficiency in English, that contributed to 

22 the noncompliance of the person; and 

23 ‘‘(E) in determining whether to impose the 

24 sanction, has used screening tools developed in 

25 consultation with individuals or groups with ex-
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1 pertise in matters described in subparagraph 

2 (D).’’. 

3 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) (42 U.S.C. 

4 609(a)) is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(15) PENALTY FOR FAILURE OF STATE TO

7 USE REVIEW AND CONCILIATION PROCESS.—

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary deter9 mines that a State to which a grant is made 

10 under section 403 for a fiscal year has violated 

11 section 408(a)(15) during the fiscal year, the 

12 Secretary shall reduce the grant payable to the 

13 State under section 403(a)(1) for the imme14 diately succeeding fiscal year by an amount 

15 equal to 5 percent of the State family assist16 ance grant. 

17 ‘‘(B) PENALTY BASED ON SEVERITY OF

18 FAILURE.—The Secretary shall impose reduc19 tions under subparagraph (A) with respect to a 

20 fiscal year based on the degree of noncompli21 ance.’’. 

22 SEC. 203. REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY TO 

23 APPEAL ADVERSE DECISION. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) (42 U.S.C. 608(a) 

25 is further amended by adding at the end the following:
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1 ‘‘(16) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE OPPOR2 TUNITY TO APPEAL ADVERSE DECISION.—A State to 

3 which a grant is made under section 403 shall pro4 vide an applicant or recipient of assistance under the 

5 State program funded under this part with the op6 portunity to appeal any adverse decision made with 

7 respect to the applicant or recipient under the pro8 gram.’’. 

9 (b) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) (42 U.S.C. 608(a)) is 

10 further amended by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(16) PENALTY FOR FAILURE TO PROVIDE OP12 PORTUNITY TO APPEAL ADVERSE DECISION.—If the 

13 Secretary determines that a State to which a grant 

14 is made under section 403 for a fiscal year has vio15 lated section 408(a)(16) during the fiscal year, the 

16 Secretary shall reduce the grant payable to the State 

17 under section 403(a)(1) for the immediately suc18 ceeding fiscal year by an amount equal to 5 percent 

19 of the State family assistance grant.’’. 

20 (c) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE RECIPIENTS PER21 FORMING A WORK ACTIVITY WITH A GRIEVANCE PROCE22 DURE.—

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) (42 U.S.C. 

24 608(a) is further amended by adding at the end the 

25 following: 
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1 ‘‘(17) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE RECIPIENTS

2 WITH A GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE.—A State to which 

3 a grant is made under section 403 shall provide an 

4 applicant or recipient of assistance under the State 

5 program who is engaged in a work activity pursuant 

6 to section 407 with the same grievance procedure 

7 that is available to other workers at same site, or if 

8 there is no such procedure available, shall establish 

9 a system that provides for timely dispute resolution, 

10 does not limit preexisting fair hearing rights, and al11 lows for an anonymous proceeding in appropriate 

12 circumstances.’’. 

13 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a)(7)(B)(ii) (42 

14 U.S.C. 609(a)(7)(B)(ii)) is further amended by add15 ing at the end the following: ‘‘The applicable per16 centage otherwise in effect with respect to a State 

17 for a fiscal year shall be increased by 5 percentage 

18 points if the Secretary determines that in the pre19 ceding fiscal year the State failed to comply with 

20 section 408(a)(17).’’. 

21 SEC. 204. NOTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL SERVICES AND 

22 PROTECTIONS. 

23 (a) STATE PLAN REQUIRED TO DESCRIBE HOW

24 STATES WILL NOTIFY APPLICANTS AND RECIPIENTS OF

25 THEIR RIGHTS UNDER THE PROGRAM AND OF POTEN-
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1 TIAL BENEFITS AND SERVICES AVAILABLE UNDER THE

2 PROGRAM.—Section 402(a)(1)(B)(iii) (42 U.S.C. 

3 602(a)(1)(B)(iii)) is amended by inserting ‘‘and will notify 

4 applicants and recipients of assistance under the program 

5 of the rights of individuals under all laws applicable to 

6 program activities and of all potential benefits and services 

7 available under the program’’ before the period. 

8 (b) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE NOTICE TO APPLI9 CANTS AND RECIPIENTS OF RIGHTS AND OF POTENTIAL

10 PROGRAM BENEFITS AND SERVICES, AND TRAIN PRO11 GRAM PERSONNEL IN RESPECTING THE RIGHTS.—

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) (42 U.S.C. 

13 608(a)) is further amended by adding at the end the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(18) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE NOTICE TO

16 APPLICANTS AND RECIPIENTS OF RIGHTS AND OF

17 POTENTIAL PROGRAM BENEFITS AND SERVICES, AND

18 TRAIN PROGRAM PERSONNEL TO RESPECT THE

19 RIGHTS.—A State to which a grant is made under 

20 section 403 shall—

21 ‘‘(A) notify each applicant for, and each 

22 recipient of assistance under the program of the 

23 rights of applicants and recipients under all 

24 laws applicable to the activities of the State 

25 program funded under this part (including the 
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•HR 692 IH 

1 right to claim good cause exceptions to program 

2 requirements), and shall provide the notice—

3 ‘‘(i) to a recipient when the recipient 

4 enters the program; 

5 ‘‘(ii) to all such recipients on a semi6 annual basis; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) orally and in writing, in the na8 tive language of the recipient and at a 6th 

9 grade level, and if the native language is 

10 not English, a culturally competent trans11 lation shall be provided; and 

12 ‘‘(B) train all program personnel on a reg13 ular basis in how to carry out the program con14 sistent with the rights.’’. 

15 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a)(7)(B)(ii) (42 

16 U.S.C. 609(a)(7)(B)(ii)) is amended by adding at 

17 the end the following: ‘‘The applicable percentage 

18 otherwise in effect with respect to a State for a fis19 cal year shall be increased by 5 percentage points if 

20 the Secretary determines that in the preceding fiscal 

21 year the State failed to comply with section 

22 408(a)(18).’’. 
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•HR 692 IH 

1 SEC. 204. PENALTIES AGAINST INDIVIDUALS FOR UNJUSTI2 FIED REFUSAL TO WORK; ADDITIONAL JUS3 TIFICATIONS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 407(e) (42 U.S.C. 607(e)) 

5 is amended—

6 (1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise pro9 vided in this subsection, if an individual in a family 

10 receiving assistance under the State program funded 

11 under this part refuses to engage in work required 

12 in accordance with this section, the State shall, sub13 ject to such good cause and other exceptions as the 

14 State may establish, reduce the amount of assistance 

15 otherwise payable to the family on a pro rata basis, 

16 but to not less than the amount that would be pay17 able to a family with the same number of children 

18 but with no adults, with respect to any period during 

19 a month in which the individual so refuses.’’; 

20 (2) in paragraph (2)—

21 (A) by striking ‘‘EXCEPTION’’ and insert22 ing ‘‘CHILD CARE EXCEPTION’’; and 

23 (B) by striking ‘‘proves that the individual 

24 has a demonstrated inability (as determined by 

25 the State)’’ and inserting ‘‘certifies that the in26 dividual is unable’’; and
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•HR 692 IH 

1 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL CHILD CARE EXCEPTIONS.—

3 Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a State may not re4 duce or terminate assistance under the State pro5 gram funded under this part based on a refusal of 

6 an individual to engage in work required in accord7 ance with this section if the individual is a custodial 

8 parent or caretaker relative caring for—

9 ‘‘(A) a child who has a disability or a seri10 ous health condition (as defined in section 

11 101(11) of the Family Medical Leave Act), and 

12 the individual does not have meaningful access 

13 to safe, appropriate, affordable, and quality 

14 care for the child; or 

15 ‘‘(B) a child who has attained 6 years of 

16 age, and the individual does not have meaning17 ful access to safe, appropriate, affordable, and 

18 quality after-school or summer care for the 

19 child. 

20 ‘‘(4) MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM, DISABILITY, 

21 SUBSTANCE ABUSE, OR DOMESTIC OR SEXUAL VIO22 LENCE EXCEPTION.—Notwithstanding paragraph 

23 (1), a State may not reduce or terminate assistance 

24 under the State program funded under this part 

25 based on the failure of any individual who has a 
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•HR 692 IH 

1 mental health problem, disability, or substance abuse 

2 problem, or who is a victim of sexual or domestic vi3 olence to engage in work required in accordance with 

4 this section if—

5 ‘‘(A) the individual is in the process of 

6 being screened or assessed for the mental 

7 health problem, disability, substance abuse 

8 problem, or sexual or domestic violence situa9 tion but the screening or assessment has not 

10 been completed; 

11 ‘‘(B) the individual has not been offered 

12 appropriate treatment, counseling, vocational 

13 rehabilitation, job training, and other services 

14 to address the problem or disability; or 

15 ‘‘(C) the individual cannot comply because 

16 of the need to seek medical, legal, or other serv17 ices in relation to the mental health problem, 

18 disability, or sexual or domestic violence situa19 tion. 

20 ‘‘(5) MINIMUM WAGE EXCEPTION.—Notwith21 standing paragraph (1), a State may not impose a 

22 sanction under the State program funded under this 

23 part on the basis of the refusal of an individual to 

24 accept any employment (including any employment 

25 offered under the program), if the wage rate for the 
33

•HR 692 IH 

1 employment does not equal or exceed the greater 

2 of—

3 ‘‘(A) the minimum wage rate then in effect 

4 under section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards 

5 Act of 1938; or 

6 ‘‘(B) any minimum wage rate prescribed 

7 by or under the law of the State. 

8 ‘‘(6) DISCRIMINATION EXCEPTION.—

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding para10 graph (1), a State may not reduce or terminate 

11 assistance under the State program funded 

12 under this part based on the failure of any indi13 vidual to engage in work required in accordance 

14 with this section if the individual certifies in a 

15 manner described in subparagraph (B) that the 

16 individual has left or refused work based on dis17 crimination. 

18 ‘‘(B) CERTIFICATION.—An individual may 

19 provide a certification required by subparagraph 

20 (A) by sworn written statement or by providing 

21 other documentation, including a police or court 

22 record or documentation by a shelter worker, an 

23 employee of a victim assistance program, an at24 torney, a member of the clergy, or a medical or 
34

•HR 692 IH 

1 other professional from whom the individual has 

2 sought assistance as a victim.’’. 

3 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 

4 409(a)(11) (42 U.S.C. 609(a)(11)) is amended—

5 (1) in the paragraph heading, by striking ‘‘WHO

6 CANNOT OBTAIN CHILD CARE FOR CHILD UNDER

7 AGE 6’’ and inserting ‘‘WITH JUSTIFIED REFUSAL TO

8 WORK’’; and 

9 (2) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

10 ‘‘407(e)(2)’’ and inserting ‘‘407(e)’’. 

11 SEC. 205. REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO IN12 DIVIDUALS WHO ARE, OR ARE AT RISK OF 

13 BEING, SANCTIONED. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) (42 U.S.C. 

15 608(a)) is further amended by adding at the end the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(19) STATE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE INFORMA18 TION TO INDIVIDUAL WHO HAS BEEN, OR IS AT RISK

19 OF BEING SANCTIONED.—A State to which a grant 

20 is made under section 403 shall provide to any indi21 vidual who has been, or is at risk of being, sanc22 tioned under the State program funded under this 

23 part for noncompliance with a program requirement, 

24 orally and in writing, at not more than a 6th grade 

25 level in the native language of the individual (and if 
35

•HR 692 IH 

1 the native language is not English, a culturally com2 petent translation shall be provided), a notice—

3 ‘‘(A) of the noncompliance, the existence of 

4 good cause exceptions to the requirement, and 

5 how to claim such an exception; 

6 ‘‘(B) that program requirements may be 

7 waived for people dealing with a mental health, 

8 disability, substance abuse, domestic violence, 

9 or sexual assault issue; 

10 ‘‘(C) that an individual dealing with a 

11 mental health, disability, substance abuse, do12 mestic violence, or sexual assault issue may re13 quest (or if the individual has left or been re14 moved from the program, may return to the 

15 program and request) to be assessed under the 

16 program for services to address those issues, in17 cluding appropriate treatment, counseling, voca18 tional rehabilitation, job training, or other serv19 ices; and 

20 ‘‘(D) that the State is required to keep any 

21 such information strictly confidential.’’. 

22 (b) PENALTY.—Section 409(a)(7)(B)(ii) (42 U.S.C. 

23 609(a)(7)(B)(ii)) is further amended by adding at the end 

24 the following: ‘‘The applicable percentage otherwise in ef25 fect with respect to a State for a fiscal year shall be in-
36

•HR 692 IH 

1 creased by 5 percentage points if the Secretary determines 

2 that in the preceding fiscal year the State failed to comply 

3 with section 408(a)(19).’’. 

4 SEC. 206. NONDISCRIMINATION. 

5 (a) RULE OF INTERPRETATION.—Section 408(d) (42 

6 U.S.C. 608(d) is amended by adding at the end the fol7 lowing: ‘‘This part shall not be construed to supersede any 

8 provision of Federal or State civil rights law.’’. 

9 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) (42 U.S.C. 

11 608(a) is amended by adding at the end the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(20) NONDISCRIMINATION.—A State to which 

14 a grant is made under section 403 shall ensure equi15 table treatment of needy families in the State, and 

16 shall not discriminate among families based on mar17 ital status or applicant or recipient status.’’. 

18 (2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a)(7)(B)(ii) (42 

19 U.S.C. 609(a)(7)(B)(ii)) is amended by adding at 

20 the end the following: ‘‘The applicable percentage 

21 otherwise in effect with respect to a State for a fis22 cal year shall be increased by 5 percentage points if 

23 the Secretary determines that in the preceding fiscal 

24 year the State failed to comply with section 

25 408(a)(20).’’.
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1 SEC. 207. BAN ON DIVERSION OF POTENTIAL APPLICANTS 

2 FOR ASSISTANCE. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) (42 U.S.C. 

4 608(a)) is further amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(21) BAN ON DIVERSION OF POTENTIAL AP7 PLICANTS FOR ASSISTANCE.—A State may not 

8 refuse to accept, at the time of application, an appli9 cation for assistance from the State program funded 

10 under this part, or give an individual reason to be11 lieve that, at the time of application, the State will 

12 not unconditionally accept such an application from 

13 any individual.’’. 

14 (b) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) (42 U.S.C. 608(a)) is 

15 further amended by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(21) PENALTY FOR DIVERTING POTENTIAL AP17 PLICANT FOR ASSISTANCE.—If the Secretary deter18 mines that a State to which a grant is made under 

19 section 403 for a fiscal year has violated section 

20 408(a)(21) during the fiscal year, the Secretary 

21 shall reduce the grant payable to the State under 

22 section 403(a)(1) for the immediately succeeding fis23 cal year by an amount equal to 5 percent of the 

24 State family assistance grant.’’. 
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•HR 692 IH 

1 Subtitle B—Related Provisions 

2 SEC. 211. BAN ON PENALIZING ENTIRE FAMILY FOR MIS3 CONDUCT OF 1 FAMILY MEMBER. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) (42 U.S.C. 

5 608(a)) is further amended by adding at the end the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(22) BAN ON PENALIZING ENTIRE FAMILY

8 FOR MISCONDUCT OF 1 FAMILY MEMBER.—In impos9 ing a penalty under a State program funded under 

10 this part for refusal of an individual in a family to 

11 comply with a program requirement, the State may 

12 reduce the amount of assistance otherwise payable to 

13 the family on a pro rata basis with respect to any 

14 period during a month in which the individual so re15 fuses, but may not reduce the amount of the assist16 ance to less than the amount that would be payable 

17 to the family with the same number of children but 

18 with no adults.’’. 

19 (b) PENALTY.—Section 409(a)(7)(B)(ii) (42 U.S.C. 

20 609(a)(7)(B)(ii)) is amended by adding at the end the fol21 lowing: ‘‘The applicable percentage otherwise in effect 

22 with respect to a State for a fiscal year shall be increased 

23 by 5 percentage points if the Secretary determines that 

24 in the preceding fiscal year the State failed to comply with 

25 section 408(a)(22).’’. 
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•HR 692 IH 

1 SEC. 212. ELIMINATE DOUBLE JEOPARDY FOR RECIPIENTS 

2 WITH PAST DRUG OFFENSES. 

3 Section 115 of the Personal Responsibility and Work 

4 Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (42 U.S.C. 862a) 

5 is repealed. 

6 SEC. 213. 5-YEAR TIME LIMIT. 

7 (a) REMOVAL OF LIMITATIONS.—

8 (1) ELIMINATION OF LIMITATION ON HARDSHIP

9 EXCEPTION.—Section 408(a)(7)(C) (42 U.S.C. 

10 608(a)(7)(C)) is amended by striking clause (ii) and 

11 redesignating clause (iii) as clause (ii). 

12 (2) COMPLIANCE EXCEPTION.—Section 

13 408(a)(7) (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(7)) is amended by add14 ing at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(H) COMPLIANCE EXCEPTION.—In deter16 mining the number of months for which an in17 dividual has received assistance under the State 

18 program funded under this part, the State shall 

19 disregard any month throughout which the indi20 vidual is in compliance with all applicable re21 quirements of the State program.’’. 

22 (b) UNIFORM DURATION OF ASSISTANCE.—Section 

23 408(a)(7)(E) (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(7)(E)) is amended to 

24 read as follows: 

25 ‘‘(E) REQUIREMENT TO PROVIDE ASSIST26 ANCE FOR 5 YEARS.—Notwithstanding section 
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•HR 692 IH 

1 407(e), a State to which a grant is made under 

2 section 403 shall not impose a limitation of 

3 fewer than 60 months on the period for which 

4 a recipient is eligible for assistance under the 

5 State program funded under this part.’’. 

6 (c) PROTECTION AGAINST RECESSION.—Section 

7 408(a)(7) (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(7)), as amended by sub8 section (a)(2) of this section, is amended by adding at the 

9 end the following: 

10 ‘‘(I) SPECIAL RULES RELATING TO MONTH

11 IN WHICH UNEMPLOYMENT IS HIGH OR HAS IN12 CREASED SHARPLY OVER PRIOR 2 YEARS.—

13 ‘‘(i) CLOCK STOPPED FOR CURRENT

14 RECIPIENTS.—In determining the number 

15 of months for which an individual has re16 ceived assistance under the State program 

17 funded under this part, the State shall dis18 regard any month that is a trigger month. 

19 ‘‘(ii) TREATMENT OF FORMER RECIPI20 ENTS WHO REACHED TIME LIMIT.—

21 ‘‘(I) NOTICE; DETERMINATION

22 OF ELIGIBILITY.—On the occurrence 

23 of a trigger month, the State shall—
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•HR 692 IH 

1 ‘‘(aa) issue a public notice 

2 that a trigger month has oc3 curred; and 

4 ‘‘(bb) on request of an indi5 vidual who had become ineligible 

6 for assistance under the State 

7 program funded under this part 

8 by reason of this paragraph, de9 termine the eligibility of the indi10 vidual for such assistance as if 

11 the individual had received such 

12 assistance for 59 months. 

13 ‘‘(II) ADDITIONAL MONTH OF AS14 SISTANCE FOR OTHERWISE ELIGIBLE

15 FORMER RECIPIENTS.—If the indi16 vidual is so determined to be eligible 

17 for such assistance, the State shall, 

18 notwithstanding subparagraph (A), 

19 provide such assistance to the indi20 vidual for any month that is a trigger 

21 month, but shall not provide such as22 sistance to the individual for any 

23 month that is not a trigger month. 

24 ‘‘(iii) TRIGGER MONTH.—In this sub25 paragraph, the term ‘trigger month’
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•HR 692 IH 

1 means, with respect to a State, any month 

2 for which the unemployment rate of the 

3 State—

4 ‘‘(I) is at least 5.5 percent; or 

5 ‘‘(II) has increased by the lesser 

6 of 50 percent, or 1.5 percentage 

7 points, over the lesser of the average 

8 rate of total unemployment in the 

9 State (seasonally adjusted) for the 

10 preceding fiscal year or the average 

11 unemployment rate of the State for 

12 the 2nd preceding fiscal year.’’. 

13 TITLE III—FAIRNESS FOR 

14 IMMIGRANTS

15 SEC. 301. TREATMENT OF ALIENS UNDER THE TANF PRO16 GRAM. 

17 (a) ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED ALIENS FOR BENE18 FITS.—

19 (1) ELIMINATION OF PROHIBITION.—Section 

20 402(b)(3) of the Personal Responsibility and Work 

21 Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 

22 1612(b)(3)) is amended by striking subparagraph 

23 (A) and redesignating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as 

24 subparagraphs (A) and (B), respectively. 
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•HR 692 IH 

1 (2) EXCEPTION TO 5-YEAR BAN FOR QUALIFIED

2 ALIENS.—Section 403(c)(2) of the Personal Respon3 sibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 

4 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1613(c)(2)) is amended by adding at 

5 the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(L) Assistance under a State program 

7 funded under the program of block grants to 

8 States for temporary assistance for needy fami9 lies under part A of title IV of the Social Secu10 rity Act.’’. 

11 (b) BENEFITS NOT SUBJECT TO REIMBURSE12 MENT.—Section 423(d) of the Personal Responsibility and 

13 Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 

14 1138a note) is amended by adding at the end the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(12) Benefits under part A of title IV of the 

17 Social Security Act except for cash assistance pro18 vided to a sponsored alien who is subject to deeming 

19 pursuant to section 408(h) of the Social Security 

20 Act.’’. 

21 (c) TREATMENT OF ALIENS.—Section 408 (42 

22 U.S.C. 608) is amended by adding at the end the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(h) SPECIAL RULES RELATING TO THE TREAT25 MENT OF 213A ALIENS.—
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•HR 692 IH 

1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In determining whether a 

2 213A alien is eligible for cash assistance under a 

3 State program funded under this part, and in deter4 mining the amount or types of such assistance to be 

5 provided to the alien, the State shall apply the rules 

6 of paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (5), and (6) of sub7 section (f) of this section by substituting ‘213A’ for 

8 ‘non-213A’ each place it appears, subject to section 

9 421(e) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Op10 portunity Reconcilation Act of 1996, and subject to 

11 section 421(f) of such Act (which shall be applied by 

12 substituting ‘section 408(h) of the Social Security 

13 Act’ for ‘subsection (a)’). 

14 ‘‘(2) 213A ALIEN DEFINED.—An alien is a 

15 213A alien for purposes of this subsection if the affi16 davit of support or similar agreement with respect to 

17 the alien that was executed by the sponsor of the 

18 alien’s entry into the United States was executed 

19 pursuant to section 213A of the Immigration and 

20 Nationality Act.’’. 

21 (d) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—

22 (1) AMENDMENTS TO PRWORA.—Section 402 of 

23 the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 

24 Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1612) is 

25 amended—
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•HR 692 IH 

1 (A) in subsection (b)(2)(A)(i) by striking 

2 ‘‘(3)(C)’’ and inserting ‘‘(3)(B)’’; 

3 (B) in subsection (b)(2)(A)(ii) by striking 

4 ‘‘(C))’’ and inserting ‘‘(B))’’; and 

5 (C) in subsection (b)(2)(E) by striking 

6 ‘‘(3)(C)’’ and inserting ‘‘(3)(B)’’. 

7 (2) AMENDMENTS TO SSA.—

8 (A) Section 408 (42 U.S.C. 608) is amend9 ed by striking subsections (e) and (f) and by re10 designating subsection (g) as subsection (e). 

11 (B) Section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)(IV) (42 

12 U.S.C. 609(a)(7)(B)(i)(IV)) is amended—

13 (I) by striking ‘‘part,’’ and inserting 

14 ‘‘part and’’; and 

15 (II) by striking ‘‘, and families of 

16 aliens lawfully present in the United States 

17 that would be eligible for such assistance 

18 but for the application of title IV of the 

19 Personal Responsibility and Work Oppor20 tunity Reconciliation Act of 1996’’. 

21 SEC. 302. TREATMENT OF ALIENS UNDER THE SSI PRO22 GRAM. 

23 (a) ELIGIBILITY OF QUALIFIED ALIENS FOR BENE24 FITS.—
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•HR 692 IH 

1 (1) ELIMINATION OF PROHIBITION.—Section 

2 402(a) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Op3 portunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 

4 1612(a)) is amended—

5 (A) by striking paragraph (3)(A); and 

6 (B) in paragraph (2) by striking subpara7 graphs (D)(i), (E), and (H). 

8 (2) EXCEPTION TO 5-YEAR BAN.—Section 

9 403(c)(2) of the Personal Responsibility and Work 

10 Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 

11 1613(c)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(M) Assistance or benefits under the sup14 plemental security income program under title 

15 XVI of the Social Security Act, including sup16 plementary payments pursuant to an agreement 

17 for Federal administration under section 

18 1616(a) of the Social Security Act and pay19 ments pursuant to an agreement entered into 

20 under section 212(b) of Public Law 93–66 

21 (commonly known as SSI).’’. 

22 (b) BENEFITS NOT SUBJECT TO REIMBURSE23 MENT.—Section 423(d) of the Personal Responsibility and 

24 Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C.
47

•HR 692 IH 

1 1138a note) is further amended by adding at the end the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(13) Assistance under the supplemental secu4 rity income program under title XVI of the Social 

5 Security Act, except assistance provided to a spon6 sored alien who is subject to deeming pursuant to 

7 section 1621 of the Social Security Act.’’. 

8 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 

9 402(b)(2)(F) of the Personal Responsibility and Work Op10 portunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 

11 1612(b)(2)(F)) is amended by striking ‘‘program defined 

12 in subsection (a)(3)(A) (relating to the supplemental secu13 rity income program)’’ and inserting ‘‘supplemental secu14 rity income program under title XVI of the Social Security 

15 Act, including supplementary payments pursuant to an 

16 agreement for Federal administration under section 

17 1616(a) of the Social Security Act and payments pursuant 

18 to an agreement entered into under section 212(b) of Pub19 lic Law 93–66’’. 

20 (d) PERIOD FOR ATTRIBUTION OF SPONSOR’S IN21 COME AND RESOURCES.—Section 1621 (42 U.S.C. 1382j) 

22 is amended in each of subsections (a), (c), (d), and (e), 

23 by striking ‘‘3’’ and inserting ‘‘5’’. 
48

•HR 692 IH 

1 SEC. 303. INCLUSION OF PARTICIPATION IN ENGLISH-AS-A2 SECOND-LANGUAGE PROGRAM AMONG PER3 MISSIBLE WORK ACTIVITIES. 

4 Section 407(d) (42 U.S.C. 607(d)) is further amend5 ed—

6 (1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 

7 (11); 

8 (2) by striking the period at the end of para9 graph (12) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

10 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(14) participation in a program in which 

12 English is taught as a second language.’’. 

13 TITLE IV—ENCOURAGE RACIAL 

14 EQUALITY 

15 SEC. 401. RACIAL PERFORMANCE MEASURE AS EVALUA16 TION CRITERION IN DETERMINING HIGH 

17 PERFORMANCE BONUS. 

18 (a) ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONED ON PROVISION OF

19 DATA DISAGGREGATED BY RACE.—Section 403(a)(4)(A) 

20 (42 U.S.C. 603(a)(4)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, and 

21 complies with the last sentence of section 411(a)(1)(A) 

22 with respect to race’’. 

23 (b) RACIAL PERFORMANCE MEASURE AS EVALUA24 TION CRITERION.—Section 403(a)(4)(C) (42 U.S.C. 

25 603(a)(4)(C)) is amended—
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•HR 692 IH 

1 (1) by striking ‘‘Not later than 1 year after the 

2 date of the enactment of the Personal Responsibility 

3 and Work Opportunity Reconcilation Act of 1996, 

4 the’’ and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The’’; and 

6 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(ii) AREAS TO BE MEASURED.—The 

8 formula shall, at a minimum, measure 

9 State performance in each of the following 

10 areas: 

11 ‘‘(I) Employment and wages. 

12 ‘‘(II) Educational access and 

13 achievement. 

14 ‘‘(III) Child care, transportation 

15 and other support service expendi16 tures. 

17 ‘‘(IV) Sanction rates. 

18 ‘‘(iii) CATEGORIES OF RECIPIENTS.—

19 The formula shall take into account State 

20 performance in each area described in 

21 clause (ii), with respect to each of the fol22 lowing categories of recipients of assistance 

23 under the State program: 

24 ‘‘(I) White/non-Hispanic. 

25 ‘‘(II) Hispanic. 
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•HR 692 IH 

1 ‘‘(III) African-American/black. 

2 ‘‘(IV) Native American. 

3 ‘‘(V) Asian-American/Pacific Is4 lander. 

5 ‘‘(iv) CHARACTERISTICS OF FOR6 MULA.—The formula shall be designed so 

7 that—

8 ‘‘(I) if the performance of a State 

9 for a bonus year in an area described 

10 in clause (ii) with respect to a cat11 egory of recipients set forth in clause 

12 (iii) differs by 5 percentage points or 

13 more from such performance for the 

14 bonus year with respect to any other 

15 category of recipients, then the State 

16 shall be considered to have failed that 

17 measure of State performance with re18 spect to the bonus year; and 

19 ‘‘(II) if a State fails 2 or more of 

20 the measures of State performance 

21 with respect to a bonus year, then the 

22 State shall not be eligible for a grant 

23 under this paragraph for the bonus 

24 year.’’. 
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1 SEC. 402. BAN ON VIOLATING ANTIDISCRIMINATION LAW. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) (42 U.S.C. 608(a) 

3 is further amended by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(23) BAN ON VIOLATING ANTIDISCRIMINATION

5 LAW.—A State to which a grant is made under sec6 tion 403(a) shall not violate an antidiscrimination 

7 law (as defined by the Office of Civil Rights in the 

8 Department of Health and Human Services) in car9 rying out the State program funded under this 

10 part.’’. 

11 (b) PENALTY.—Section 409(a)(7)(B)(ii) (42 U.S.C. 

12 609(a)(7)(B)(ii)) is amended by adding at the end the fol13 lowing: ‘‘The applicable percentage otherwise in effect 

14 with respect to a State for a fiscal year shall be increased 

15 by 5 percentage points if the Office of Civil Rights in the 

16 Department of Health and Human Services determines 

17 that in the preceding fiscal year the State failed to comply 

18 with section 408(a)(23).’’. 

19 SEC. 403. DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING. 

20 (a) COLLECTION OF DATA ON RACE, ETHNICITY/NA21 TIONAL ORIGIN, GENDER, PRIMARY LANGUAGE, AND

22 EDUCATIONAL LEVEL.—Section 411(a)(1)(A) (42 U.S.C. 

23 611(a)(1)(A)) is amended by adding at the end the fol24 lowing new sentence: 

25 ‘‘In complying with this paragraph, each eligible 

26 State must ensure that the case record informa-
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1 tion required by this subparagraph is reported 

2 in a manner that permits analysis of the infor3 mation by race, ethnicity/national origin, pri4 mary language, gender, and educational level, 

5 including analysis using a combination of these 

6 factors.’’. 

7 (b) COLLECTION OF DATA ON PRIMARY LAN8 GUAGE.—Section 411(a)(1)(A) (42 U.S.C. 611(a)(1)(A)) 

9 is amended by striking clauses (vii) and (viii) and insert10 ing the following: 

11 ‘‘(vii) The race, educational level, and 

12 primary language of each adult in the fam13 ily.’’. 

14 ‘‘(viii) The race, educational level, and 

15 primary language of each child in the fam16 ily.’’. 

17 (c) COLLECTION OF DATA ON DIVERSION.—Section 

18 411(a)(1) (42 U.S.C. 611(a)(1)) is amended by redesig19 nating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C) and insert20 ing after subparagraph (A) the following: 

21 ‘‘(B) DATA ON DIVERSION.—Each eligible 

22 State shall collect on a monthly basis, and re23 port to the Secretary on a quarterly basis, 

24 disaggregated case record information on the 

25 number of individuals who apply for but do not
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1 receive assistance, the reason such assistance 

2 was not provided, and the overall percentage of 

3 applications for assistance that are approved 

4 compared to those that are disapproved. In 

5 complying with the preceding sentence, the 

6 State shall ensure that the case record informa7 tion is reported in a manner that permits anal8 ysis of such information by race, ethnicity/na9 tional origin, primary language, gender, and 

10 educational level, including analysis using a 

11 combination of these factors.’’. 

12 (d) COLLECTION OF DATA ON PARTICIPATION IN

13 EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION, AND TRAINING.—Section 

14 411(a)(1)(A) (42 U.S.C. 611(a)(1)(A)) is amended—

15 (1) by striking clause (v) and inserting the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(v) The employment status, occupa18 tion (as defined by the current Federal 

19 Standard Occupational Classification sys20 tem), and earnings of each employed adult 

21 in the family.’’; and 

22 (2) by striking clause (xi) and inserting the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(xi) If the adults participated in, and 

25 the numbers of hours per week of partici-
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1 pation in, the following activities, includ2 ing, to the extent such information is avail3 able, information on the specific type of 

4 job, or education or training program.’’. 

5 (e) COLLECTION OF DATA ON FAMILIES LEAVING

6 WELFARE.—

7 (1) CASE CLOSURE REASONS.—Section 

8 411(a)(1) (42 U.S.C. 611(a)(1)), as amended by the 

9 preceding provisions of this Act, is amended by re10 designating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D) 

11 and inserting after subparagraph (B) the following: 

12 ‘‘(C) DEVELOPMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE

13 LIST OF CASE CLOSURE REASONS.—

14 ‘‘(i) The Secretary shall develop, in 

15 consultation with States and policy ex16 perts, a comprehensive list of reasons why 

17 individuals leave State programs funded 

18 under this part. The full range of reasons 

19 for case closures, including the following 

20 reasons, shall be considered in making the 

21 list as comprehensive as possible: lack of 

22 access to specific programs or services such 

23 as child care, transportation, or English as 

24 a second language classes for clients with 

25 limited English proficiency; clients’ medical 
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1 or health problems; clients’ family respon2 sibilities such as caring for a disabled fam3 ily member; changes in eligibility status; or 

4 different administrative reasons. The list 

5 shall be aimed at substantially reducing 

6 the number of case closures under the pro7 grams for which a reason is not known. 

8 Further, States shall undertake efforts to 

9 improve their tracking of reasons for case 

10 closures and shall report on such efforts in 

11 the quarterly reports submitted pursuant 

12 to this subsection. 

13 ‘‘(ii) The Secretary shall promulgate 

14 for public comment regulations that list 

15 the new case closure reasons to be used in 

16 accordance with subparagraph (A)(xvi) no 

17 later than December 2004. The regulations 

18 also shall direct States to report on efforts 

19 to improve State tracking of reasons for 

20 case closures, including the identification 

21 of additional reasons for case closures not 

22 included on the list generated under this 

23 subparagraph. 

24 ‘‘(iii) The Secretary, through con25 sultation and analysis of quarterly State 
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1 reports, shall review on an annual basis 

2 whether the list of case closure reasons re3 quires modification. To the extent the Sec4 retary determines the need to modify the 

5 list of case closure reasons, such changes 

6 shall be published for notice and com7 ment.’’. 

8 (2) INCLUSION IN QUARTERLY STATE RE9 PORTS.—Section 411(a)(1)(A)(xvi) (42 U.S.C. 

10 611(a)(1)(A)(xvi)) is amended—

11 (A) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of sub12 clause (IV); 

13 (B) by striking the period at the end and 

14 inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

15 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(VI) a reason specified in the 

17 list developed under subparagraph 

18 (C).’’. 

19 (3) SAMPLES.—Section 411(a)(1)(A)(xvi) (42 

20 U.S.C. 611(a)(1)(A)(xvi)) is amended to read as fol21 lows: 

22 ‘‘(xvi) Whether the family left the pro23 gram, and if so, whether the family left 

24 due to—

25 ‘‘(I) employment; 
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1 ‘‘(II) marriage; 

2 ‘‘(III) the prohibition set forth in 

3 section 408(a)(7); 

4 ‘‘(IV) sanction; 

5 ‘‘(V) State policy; or 

6 ‘‘(VI) a reason specified in the 

7 list developed under section 

8 411(a)(1)(C).’’. 

9 (f) IMPROVING DATA QUALITY.—Section 411(a)(1) 

10 (42 U.S.C. 611(a)(1)) is amended by adding at the end 

11 the following: 

12 ‘‘(D) QUALITY OF DATA.—Quarterly re13 ports submitted by each eligible State must de14 scribe what steps the State has taken to ensure 

15 the accuracy of the data submitted pursuant to 

16 this section.’’. 

17 (g) UNIFORMITY OF DATA.—Section 411(a)(1) (42 

18 U.S.C. 611(a)(1)), as amended by subsection (f) of this 

19 section, is amended by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(E) UNIFORM DATA.—The Secretary 

21 shall report annually on the progress toward 

22 the creation of a common data collection instru23 ment and common collection methods to ensure 

24 that case record information is reported by 

25 states in a standardized format, including a
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1 timeline aimed at achieving this goal on or be2 fore September 30, 2006, with an assessment 

3 of barriers and costs of implementation.’’. 

4 (h) ANNUAL REPORTS BY THE SECRETARY.—Section 

5 411(b)(2) (42 U.S.C. 611(b)(2)) is amended by inserting 

6 ‘‘, including the information submitted under section 

7 411(a)(1)(A)(i) through (xvii) broken down by race, eth8 nicity/national origin, primary language, gender, and edu9 cational level’’ before the semicolon. 

10 (i) GRANTS FOR ANALYSIS OF DATA THAT EXAM11 INES RACIAL, ETHNIC, OR GENDER DIFFERENCES IN THE

12 ADMINISTRATION OF STATE TANF PROGRAMS.—Section 

13 411 (42 U.S.C. 611) is amended by adding at the end 

14 the following: 

15 ‘‘(c) RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS OF DATA.—

16 ‘‘(1) RESEARCH GRANTS.—Grants shall be 

17 made available to undertake research analyzing data 

18 submitted by States to evaluate racial, ethnic, or 

19 gender differences in the administration of the pro20 gram funded under this part, including differences 

21 in programs or services offered, employment and 

22 earnings, and reasons for leaving assistance. 

23 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC ACCESS TO DATA.—The Secretary 

24 shall ensure that the data submitted by States pur25 suant to subsection (a) is made available to the pub-
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1 lic for analysis by creating a public use database 

2 that includes all case record information. The Sec3 retary shall take steps to ensure that any identifying 

4 information about individual recipients of assistance 

5 cannot be accessed and proper privacy safeguards 

6 are established.’’. 

7 SEC. 404. ACCESS TO WELFARE; WELFARE OUTCOMES. 

8 Section 411 (42 U.S.C. 611) is amended by adding 

9 at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(c) ANNUAL REPORTS ON WELFARE ACCESS AND

11 OUTCOMES.—

12 ‘‘(1) STATE REPORTS.—Not later than January 

13 1 of each fiscal year, each eligible State shall collect 

14 and report to the Secretary, with respect to the pre15 ceding fiscal year, the following information: 

16 ‘‘(A) The number of applications for as17 sistance from the State program funded under 

18 this part, the percentage that are approved 

19 versus those that are disapproved, and the rea20 sons for disapproval, broken down by race. 

21 ‘‘(B) A copy of all rules and policies gov22 erning the State program funded under this 

23 part that are not required by Federal law, and 

24 a summary of the rules and policies, including 

25 the amounts and types of assistance provided 
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1 and the types of sanctions imposed under the 

2 program. 

3 ‘‘(C) The types of occupations of, types of 

4 job training received by, and types and levels of 

5 educational attainment of recipients of assist6 ance from the State program funded under this 

7 part, broken down by gender and race. 

8 ‘‘(D) The incidence of homelessness, of the 

9 use of food pantries and soup kitchens, and of 

10 the use of shelters among recipients of assist11 ance from the State program funded under this 

12 part and among individuals to whom assistance 

13 under the State programs funded under this 

14 part has ended within the past 12 months. The 

15 information described in this subparagraph may 

16 be provided by submitting disaggregated case 

17 record information on a sample of families. 

18 ‘‘(E) The number of individuals to whom 

19 assistance under the State program funded 

20 under this part has ended during the year, bro21 ken down by the reasons why the assistance has 

22 ended (including employment, marriage, sanc23 tion, time limit, or State policy. 

24 ‘‘(F) The economic conditions of individ25 uals to whom assistance under the State pro-
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1 grams funded under this part has ended, in2 cluding the types of occupations of, the dura3 tion of employment of, the income of, the bene4 fits provided to, the types of job training re5 ceived by, the types and levels of educational at6 tainment of, and the incidence of homelessness, 

7 of the use of food pantries or soup kitchens, 

8 and of the use of shelters among, such individ9 uals, broken down by gender and race. 

10 ‘‘(G) The effects of applying the 5-year 

11 time limit to individuals who, in the absence of 

12 the limit, would continue to be eligible for as13 sistance from the State program funded under 

14 this part, including the economic and social cir15 cumstances of the individuals, including income, 

16 employment, homelessness, use of food pantries 

17 or soup kitchens, and change in child custody 

18 arrangements. 

19 ‘‘(2) USE OF SAMPLING.—A State may comply 

20 with this subsection by using a scientifically accept21 able sampling method approved by the Secretary. 

22 ‘‘(3) REPORT TO THE CONGRESS.—Not later 

23 than June 1 of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall 

24 prepare and submit to the Committee on Ways and 

25 Means of the House of Representatives and the
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1 Committee on Finance of the Senate, publish in the 

2 Federal Register, and make easily accessible to the 

3 public through the Internet a compilation of the re4 ports submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) for the 

5 preceding fiscal year.’’. 

6 SEC. 405. LONGITUDINAL STUDIES OF TANF RECIPIENTS. 

7 (a) LONGITUDINAL STUDIES OF TANF APPLICANTS

8 AND RECIPIENTS TO DETERMINE THE FACTORS THAT

9 CONTRIBUTE TO POSITIVE EMPLOYMENT AND FAMILY

10 OUTCOMES.—Section 413(d) (42 U.S.C. 613) is amended 

11 to read as follows: 

12 ‘‘(d) LONGITUDINAL STUDIES OF TANF APPLI13 CANTS AND RECIPIENTS TO DETERMINE THE FACTORS

14 THAT CONTRIBUTE TO POSITIVE EMPLOYMENT AND

15 FAMILY OUTCOMES.—

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, directly or 

17 through grants, contracts, or interagency agree18 ments, shall conduct longitudinal studies in not less 

19 than 30 States of a representative sample of families 

20 that receive and applicants for assistance in a State 

21 program funded under this part or under a program 

22 funded with qualified State expenditures (as defined 

23 in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)). The studies shall follow 

24 families that leave assistance, those that receive as25 sistance throughout the study period, and those di-
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1 verted from assistance programs. The studies shall 

2 gather information on family and adult demo3 graphics (including race, ethnicity/national origin, 

4 primary language, gender, barriers to employment, 

5 educational status of adults, prior work history, 

6 prior history of welfare receipt), family income (in7 cluding earnings, unemployment compensation, and 

8 child support), benefit receipt (including food 

9 stamps, medicaid, earned income tax credits, hous10 ing assistance, and type and amount of child care 

11 used), reasons for leaving or returning to assistance 

12 programs, work participation status and activities 

13 (including the scope and duration of work activities 

14 and the types of industries and occupations for 

15 which training is provided), sanction status (includ16 ing reasons for sanction), time limit status (includ17 ing months remaining on State and Federal time 

18 limits), recipient views on program participation, 

19 and measures of income change, poverty, extreme 

20 poverty, food security, and use of food pantries and 

21 soup kitchens, homelessness and the use of shelters, 

22 and other measures of family well-being and hard23 ship over a 5-year period. The Secretary shall, to the 

24 extent possible, ensure that the studies produce com25 parable results and information.
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1 ‘‘(2) REPORTS.—

2 ‘‘(A) The Secretary shall publish, not later 

3 than December 2005, interim findings from at 

4 least 12 months of longitudinal data. 

5 ‘‘(B) The Secretary shall publish, not later 

6 than December 2007, findings from at least 36 

7 months of longitudinal data.’’. 

8 (b) LONGITUDINAL STUDIES OF ECONOMIC WELL9 BEING OF CURRENT AND FORMER TANF FAMILIES.—

10 (1) ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Section 

11 411(b) (42 U.S.C. 611(b)) is amended—

12 (A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘finan13 cial characteristics’’ and inserting ‘‘financial 

14 characteristics (including types of sanctions or 

15 other grant reductions)’’ and by striking the 

16 semicolon at the end and adding ‘‘, broken 

17 down by race, ethnicity/national origin, primary 

18 language, gender, education level, and, for 

19 closed TANF cases, reason the case was 

20 closed;’’; 

21 (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

22 the end; 

23 (C) in paragraph (4), by striking the pe24 riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

25 (D) by adding at the end the following: 
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1 ‘‘(5) the economic well-being of children and 

2 families receiving assistance under the State pro3 grams funded under this part and of children and 

4 families that have ceased to receive such assistance, 

5 using longitudinal matched data gathered from fed6 erally supported programs, and including State by 

7 State data that details the distribution of earnings 

8 and stability of employment of such families and (to 

9 the extent feasible) describes, with respect to such 

10 families, the distribution of income from known 

11 sources (including employer-reported wages, assist12 ance under the State program funded under this 

13 part, and benefits under the food stamp program), 

14 the ratio of such families’ income to the poverty line, 

15 and the extent to which such families receive or re16 ceived noncash benefits and child care assistance. 

17 Such information shall be broken down by race, eth18 nicity/national origin, primary language, gender, 

19 education level, whether the TANF case remains 

20 open, and, for closed TANF cases, reason the case 

21 was closed.’’. 

22 (2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 

23 411(a) (42 U.S.C. 611(a)) is amended by redesig24 nating paragraph (7) as paragraph (8) inserting 

25 after paragraph (6) the following: 
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1 ‘‘(7) REPORT ON ECONOMIC WELL-BEING OF

2 CURRENT AND FORMER RECIPIENTS.—The report 

3 required by paragraph (1) for a fiscal quarter shall 

4 include for that quarter such information as the Sec5 retary may specify in order for the Secretary to in6 clude in the annual reports to Congress required 

7 under subsection (b) the information described in 

8 subsection (b)(5).’’.

Æ