169 
assistance to come into compliance or dem-
onstrate good cause for noncompliance. 
‘‘(C) NOTICE TO EVICTED PERSONS.—The 
State shall make a reasonable effort to provide 
to an individual or family that has been evicted 
from a residence for failure to pay rent or as 
a result of another problem related to poverty, 
any notice required by this paragraph to be 
provided to the individual or family.’’. 
(ii) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) (42 
U.S.C. 609(a)), as amended by section 
903(c)(2)(A) of this title, subsection (b)(3) 
of this section, and subparagraph (A)(ii) of 
this paragraph, is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(18) PENALTY
FOR
FAILURE
TO
FOLLOW 
SANCTION PROCEDURES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary deter-
mines that a State to which a grant is made 
under section 403 in a fiscal year has violated 
section 408(a)(14) during the fiscal year, the 
Secretary shall reduce the grant payable to the 
State under section 403(a)(1) for the imme-
diately succeeding fiscal year by an amount 
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170 
equal to not more than 5 percent of the State 
family assistance grant. 
‘‘(B) PENALTY
BASED
ON
SEVERITY
OF 
FAILURE.—The Secretary shall impose reduc-
tions under subparagraph (A) with respect to a 
fiscal year based on the degree of noncompli-
ance.’’. 
(iii) STATE
PLAN
REQUIREMENT
TO 
DESCRIBE HOW STATES WILL NOTIFY AP-
PLICANTS
AND
RECIPIENTS
OF
THEIR 
RIGHTS UNDER THE PROGRAM AND OF PO-
TENTIAL BENEFITS AND SERVICES AVAIL-
ABLE
UNDER
THE
PROGRAM.—Section 
402(a)(1)(B)(iii) 
(42 
U.S.C. 
602(a)(1)(B)(iii)) is amended by inserting 
‘‘, and will notify applicants and recipients 
of assistance under the program of the 
rights of individuals under all laws applica-
ble to program activities and of all poten-
tial benefits and services available under 
the program’’ before the period. 
(2) MODIFICATIONS TO WORK SANCTION.— 
(A) ELIMINATION OF FULL FAMILY SANC-
TION; STATE
REQUIRED
TO
ESTABLISH
CER-
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171 
TAIN
GOOD
CAUSE
EXCEPTIONS.—Section 
407(e)(1) (42 U.S.C. 607(e)(1)) is amended— 
(i) by striking ‘‘shall—’’ and all that 
follows through subparagraph (B) and in-
serting ‘‘shall reduce the amount of assist-
ance otherwise payable to the family pro 
rata with respect to any period during a 
month in which the individual so refuses,’’; 
and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘may establish’’ and 
inserting the following ‘‘shall establish, 
which shall include the decline of an offer 
of employment at a wage less than the 
greater of the applicable Federal or State 
minimum wage, or 80 percent of the wage 
that would have governed had the min-
imum hourly rate under the Fair Labor 
Standards Act been applicable to the offer 
of employment, at a site subject to a strike 
or lockout at the time of refusal, or for 
medical reasons or a lack of sufficient 
physical strength or stamina’’. 
(B) PROHIBITION ON SANCTIONING INDI-
VIDUAL FOR FAILURE TO ENGAGE IN WORK IF 
INDIVIDUAL
HAS
A
CHILD
UNDER
AGE
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172 
MONTHS
OR
IF
FAILURE
RESULTS
FROM
IN-
ABILITY TO SECURE CHILD CARE OR AFTER- 
SCHOOL ARRANGEMENTS FOR A CHILD UNDER 
AGE
13.—Section 
407(e)(2) 
(42 
U.S.C. 
607(e)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘refusal’’ 
and all that follows and inserting ‘‘failure of an 
individual to engage in work required in accord-
ance with this section if— 
‘‘(A) the individual is a single custodial 
parent caring for a child who has not attained 
6 months of age; or 
‘‘(B) the individual is the single custodial 
parent caring for a child who has not attained 
13 years of age, and the failure resulted from 
the inability of the individual to secure child 
care or after-school arrangements for the 
child’’. 
(3) MODIFICATIONS TO CHILD SUPPORT SANC-
TION.—Section 408(a)(2) (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(2)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘State—’’ and all that follows 
and inserting ‘‘State shall deduct from the assist-
ance that would otherwise be provided to the family 
of the individual under the State program funded 
under this part an amount equal to 25 percent of 
the amount of the assistance.’’. 
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173 
(e) RELATED STATE PLAN REQUIREMENT.—Section 
402(a) (42 U.S.C. 602(a)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(8) CERTIFICATION
THAT
EMPLOYMENT
AS-
SESSMENTS AND SANCTION REVIEWS WILL BE CON-
DUCTED
BY
COMPETENT
PERSONNEL.—A certifi-
cation by the chief executive officer of the State that 
the employment assessments conducted pursuant to 
section 408(b)(1) and the sanction reviews con-
ducted pursuant to section 408(a)(14)(A) will be 
conducted by personnel who have sufficient edu-
cation, training, and professional competence to do 
so, which shall include information on the education, 
training, and professional competence that State will 
require of the personnel.’’. 
SEC. 906. PROHIBITION ON IMPOSING LIMIT OF LESS THAN 
60 MONTHS ON DURATION OF ASSISTANCE. 
(a) PROHIBITION.— 
(1) 
IN
GENERAL.—Section 
408(a)(7) 
(42 
U.S.C. 608(a)(7)) is amended— 
(A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 
‘‘NO ASSISTANCE FOR MORE THAN 5 YEARS’’ 
and inserting ‘‘DURATIONAL LIMITS ON ASSIST-
ANCE’’; 
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174 
(B) in the heading for subparagraph (A), 
by striking ‘‘IN GENERAL’’ and inserting ‘‘NO 
ASSISTANCE FOR MORE THAN 5 YEARS’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(H) PROHIBITION
ON
LIMITING
DURA-
TION
OF
ASSISTANCE
TO
LESS
THAN
MONTHS.—A State to which a grant is made 
under section 403 shall not impose a limit of 
less than 60 months on the duration for which 
a family may be provided assistance from Fed-
eral or State funds under the State program 
funded under this part or under a program 
funded with qualified State expenditures (as de-
fined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)).’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The heading 
of section 409(a)(9) (42 U.S.C. 609(a)(9)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘5-YEAR LIMIT’’ and inserting 
‘‘RULES GOVERNING DURATIONAL LIMITS’’. 
(b) REQUIREMENT TO CONDUCT OUTREACH TO IN-
FORM POTENTIALLY ELIGIBLE FAMILIES
OF ELIMI-
NATION OF DURATIONAL LIMIT ON ASSISTANCE OF LESS 
THAN 60 MONTHS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) (42 U.S.C. 
608(a)), as amended by section 905(d)(1) of this 
title, is amended by adding at the end the following: 
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175 
‘‘(15) REQUIREMENT TO CONDUCT OUTREACH 
TO INFORM POTENTIALLY ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS OF 
ASSISTANCE OF ELIMINATION OF DURATIONAL LIMIT 
ON
ASSISTANCE
OF
LESS
THAN
MONTHS.—A 
State to which a grant is made under section 403 
for a fiscal year that, before the effective date of this 
paragraph, denied assistance under the State pro-
gram funded under this part or any other State pro-
gram funded by qualified State expenditures (as de-
fined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) to an individual or 
family on the basis of a durational limit on the as-
sistance that was imposed other than under section 
408(a)(7) shall conduct outreach to inform individ-
uals and families who were so denied that they may 
be eligible for additional months of the assistance.’’. 
(2) PENALTY.—Section 409(a) (42 U.S.C. 
609(a)), as amended by sections 903(c)(2)(A) and 
905(d)(1) of this title, is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(19) FAILURE TO CONDUCT OUTREACH TO IN-
FORM POTENTIALLY ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS OF AS-
SISTANCE OF ELIMINATION OF DURATIONAL LIMIT 
ON ASSISTANCE OF LESS THAN 60 MONTHS.—If the 
Secretary determines that a State to which a grant 
is made under section 403 in a fiscal year has vio-
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176 
lated section 408(a)(15) during the fiscal year, the 
Secretary shall reduce the grant payable to the State 
under section 403(a)(1) for the immediately suc-
ceeding fiscal year by an amount equal to 5 percent 
of the State family assistance grant.’’. 
(c) STATE PLAN REQUIRED TO INCLUDE DESCRIP-
TION OF HOW POTENTIALLY ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS WILL 
BE INFORMED OF ELIMINATION OF DURATIONAL LIMIT 
ON ASSISTANCE OF LESS THAN 60 MONTHS.—Section 
402(a)(1)(B) (42 U.S.C. 602(a)(1)(B)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(vi) In the case of a State that, be-
fore the date this clause takes effect, de-
nied assistance under the program to an 
individual or family on the basis of a 
durational limit on the assistance that was 
imposed 
other 
than 
under 
section 
408(a)(7), the document shall describe how 
the State intends to inform the individuals 
and families who were so denied that they 
may be eligible for additional months of 
the assistance.’’. 
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177 
SEC. 907. RESPONSE OF TANF PROGRAM TO ECONOMIC RE-
CESSIONS. 
(a) INAPPLICABILITY OF DURATIONAL LIMIT ON AS-
SISTANCE.—Section 408(a)(7) (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(7)), as 
amended by section 906(a)(1)(C) of this title, is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(I) INAPPLICABILITY
OF
DURATIONAL 
LIMIT DURING RECESSION.—Subparagraph (A) 
shall not apply in a State during any month 
which is in a high unemployment period with 
respect to the State. 
‘‘(J) DISREGARD
OF
ASSISTANCE
PRO-
VIDED
DURING
RECESSION.—In determining 
the number of months for which an adult has 
received assistance under a State or tribal pro-
gram funded under this part or any other State 
program funded by qualified State expenditures 
(as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)), the 
State or tribe shall disregard any month which 
is in a high unemployment period with respect 
to the State. 
‘‘(K) 6-MONTH GRACE PERIOD REQUIRED 
AFTER
RECESSION.—Subparagraph (A) shall 
not apply to a recipient of assistance under the 
State program funded under this part or any 
other State program funded by qualified State 
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178 
expenditures 
(as 
defined 
in 
section 
409(a)(7)(B)(i)) during the 6-month period 
that begins with the month immediately fol-
lowing a high unemployment period with re-
spect to the State if the recipient received the 
assistance for the last month of the period.’’. 
(b) REQUIREMENT TO CONDUCT OUTREACH TO IN-
FORM POTENTIALLY ELIGIBLE FAMILIES OF SUSPENSION 
OF DURATIONAL LIMIT ON ASSISTANCE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 408(a) (42 U.S.C. 
608(a)), as amended by sections 905(d)(1) and 
906(b)(1) of this title, is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(16) REQUIREMENT TO CONDUCT OUTREACH 
TO INFORM POTENTIALLY ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS OF 
ASSISTANCE OF SUSPENSION OF DURATIONAL LIMIT 
ON ASSISTANCE.—In each month which is a high un-
employment period with respect to a State to which 
a grant is made under section 403 for a fiscal year, 
the State shall conduct outreach to inform individ-
uals and families who are potentially eligible for as-
sistance under the State program funded under this 
part or any other State program funded by qualified 
State 
expenditures 
(as 
defined 
in 
section 
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190 
‘‘(E) A description of the most prevalent 
types of modification in work activities or hours 
of participation that were included in the modi-
fied employability plans. 
‘‘(F) A description of the qualifications of 
the staff who determined whether individuals 
had a disability, of the staff who determined 
that individuals needed modifications to their 
work requirements, and of the staff who devel-
oped the modified employability plans. 
‘‘(4) The effectiveness of the benefits and serv-
ices provided under the State program in reducing 
the number of children removed from their homes 
because of abuse and neglect. This part of the report 
shall include an analysis which includes the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(A) The number of families provided the 
benefits or services that were at risk of having 
their children removed from the home. 
‘‘(B) The number of families served by the 
program that had 1 or more children removed 
from the home because of abuse or neglect. 
‘‘(5) An analysis of the extent to which the ben-
efits and services under the State program were pro-
vided to noncustodial parents. 
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