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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Responsible Welfare
Act of 1995’’.
SEC. 2. DENIAL OF AFDC BENEFITS TO CERTAIN INDIVID-
UALS SPENDING FEWER THAN 30 HOURS PER
WEEK AT WORK OR ATTENDING COURSES AT
AN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (29) of section 402(a)
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 602(a)(29)) is
amended by inserting after paragraph (28) the following:
‘‘(29) provide that—
‘‘(A) during the 3-year period beginning on
the effective date of this paragraph the State
may, and thereafter the State must, require a
recipient of aid under the plan (other than one
described in clause (i) or (ii) of paragraph
(19)(C)) to spend 30 hours per week at work
(whether or not paid) as directed by the State
or attending courses at an educational institu-
tion, if—
‘‘(i) all of the dependent children of
the recipient are enrolled in a preschool
program or attend, full-time, an elemen-
tary, secondary, or vocational (or tech-
nical) school; or
‘‘(ii) the recipient has received aid
under any number of State plans under
this part for at least 84 months (whether
or not consecutively); and
‘‘(B) aid under this part may not be pro-
vided to any individual to whom the require-
ments of subparagraph (A) apply, for any week
during which the individual fails to meet such
requirements.’’.
(b) STATE PAYMENTS REDUCED FOR NONCOMPLI-
ANCE.—Section 403 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 603) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(o)(1) The Secretary shall reduce the amount other-
wise payable to a State under this section for any fiscal
year by the applicable percentage if the Secretary finds
that the State plan approved under this part was not car-
ried out in substantial compliance with section 402(a)(29)
during any calendar quarter of the immediately preceding
fiscal year.
‘‘(2) For purposes of paragraph (1), the term ‘appli-
cable percentage’ means—
‘‘(A) 30 percent, if the failure to substantially
comply occurred for 3 or more calendar quarters;
‘‘(B) 20 percent, if the failure to substantially
comply occurred for 2 calendar quarters; or
‘‘(C) 15 percent, if the failure to substantially
comply occurred for 1 calendar quarter.’’.
(c) REGULATIONS.—Within 2 years after the effective
date of this section, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services shall promulgate such regulations as may be nec-
essary to carry out the amendments made by this section.
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
this section shall take effect on the first day of the first
calendar quarter that begins after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, and shall apply to payments under part
A of title IV of the Social Security Act for calendar quar-
ters beginning after such date of enactment.
Æ