I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 751 
To reauthorize and improve the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families 
(TANF) Program by promoting work, family, and opportunity, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 10, 2005 
Mr. MCDERMOTT (for himself, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. STARK, Mr. BECERRA, and 
Mr. EMANUEL) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To reauthorize and improve the Temporary Assistance for 
Needy Families (TANF) Program by promoting work, 
family, and opportunity, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Work, Family, and 
Opportunity Promotion Act’’. 
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents of this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title. 
Sec. 2. Table of contents. 
Sec. 3. References. 
TITLE I—REAL WORK REQUIREMENTS 
Sec. 101. Universal engagement. 
Sec. 102. Elimination of caseload reduction rate. 
Sec. 103. State option to select job entry rate requirement in lieu of work par-
ticipation rate requirement. 
Sec. 104. Work rates. 
Sec. 105. Employment credit. 
Sec. 106. Effect of wage subsidies on 5-year limit. 
Sec. 107. Workplace laws. 
Sec. 108. Nondisplacement. 
TITLE II—RESOURCES TO SUPPORT WORK 
Sec. 201. Funding for child care. 
Sec. 202. Family assistance grants. 
Sec. 203 Social services block grant. 
Sec. 204. 5–Year extension and simplification of the transitional medical assist-
ance program (TMA). 
Sec. 205. Extension of supplemental grants. 
Sec. 206. Additional grants for States with low Federal funding per poor child. 
Sec. 207. Bonus to reward high performance States. 
Sec. 208. Contingency fund. 
Sec. 209. Eligibility of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and 
Guam for the supplemental grant for population increases, the 
contingency fund, and mandatory child care funding. 
TITLE III—ACCESS TO EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND 
REHABILITATIVE SERVICES 
Sec. 301. Education and training. 
Sec. 302. Rehabilitative services. 
TITLE IV—REDUCING POVERTY 
Sec. 401. Poverty reduction. 
Sec. 402. Employment enhancement. 
TITLE V—SUPPORTING FAMILIES AND RESPONSIBLE PARENTING 
Sec. 501. Family formation fund. 
Sec. 502. Two-parent eligibility. 
Sec. 503. Child support. 
TITLE VI—FAIRNESS FOR LEGAL IMMIGRANTS 
Sec. 601. Treatment of aliens under the TANF program. 
Sec. 602. Optional coverage of legal immigrants under the medicaid program 
and SCHIP. 
Sec. 603. Eligibility of disabled children who are qualified aliens for SSI. 
Sec. 604. SSI extension for humanitarian immigrants. 
TITLE VII—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Sec. 701. Clarification of authority of States to use TANF funds carried over 
from prior years to provide TANF benefits and services. 
Sec. 702. Definition of assistance. 
Sec. 703. Continuation of pre-welfare reform waivers. 
Sec. 704. Maintenance of effort. 
Sec. 705. Funding for tribal TANF programs. 
Sec. 706. Funding for families assisted by a territory program. 
Sec. 707. Repeal of Federal loan fund for State welfare programs. 
Sec. 708. Ban on using Federal TANF funds to replace State and local spend-
ing that does not meet the definition of qualified State expendi-
tures. 
Sec. 709. Extension of funding of studies and demonstrations. 
Sec. 710. Longitudinal studies of employment and earnings of TANF leavers. 
Sec. 711. Study by the Census Bureau. 
TITLE VIII—EXTENSION OF TANF PROGRAM THROUGH FISCAL 
YEAR 2005 
Sec. 801. Extension of TANF program and related authorities through fiscal 
year 2005. 
TITLE IX—EFFECTIVE DATE 
Sec. 901. Effective date. 
SEC. 3. REFERENCES. 
Except as otherwise expressly provided, wherever in 
this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 
of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi-
sion, the amendment or repeal shall be considered to be 
made to a section or other provision of the Social Security 
Act. 
TITLE I—REAL WORK 
REQUIREMENTS 
SEC. 101. UNIVERSAL ENGAGEMENT. 
(a) MODIFICATION OF INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY 
PLANS.—Section 408(b) (42 U.S.C. 608(b)) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY PLANS.—
‘‘(1) ASSESSMENT.—The State agency respon-
sible for administering the State program funded 
under this part shall make an initial screening and 
assessment of the following for each family with an 
adult or minor child head of household receiving as-
sistance under the program: 
‘‘(A) The education obtained, skills, prior 
work experience, work readiness, and barriers 
to work of each adult or minor child head of 
household recipient of assistance in the family 
who has attained age 18 or who has not com-
pleted high school or obtained a certificate of 
high school equivalency, and is not attending 
secondary school. 
‘‘(B) The work support, work readiness, 
and family support services for which the family 
is eligible. 
‘‘(C) The well-being of the children in the 
family and, where appropriate, activities or re-
sources to improve the well-being of the chil-
dren. 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS OF PLANS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On the basis of the 
screening and assessment required under para-
graph (1) for a family with an adult or minor
child head of household recipient of the assist-
ance, the State agency, in consultation with the 
family, shall develop an individual responsibility 
plan that— 
‘‘(i) establishes for each such recipient 
a self-sufficiency plan that specifies activi-
ties described in the State plan submitted 
pursuant to section 402, including work 
activities specified in section 407(d), as ap-
propriate, that are designed to assist the 
family in achieving the maximum degree of 
self-sufficiency for the family, and that 
provides for the ongoing participation of 
the recipient in the activities; 
‘‘(ii) sets forth the obligations of each 
such recipient which may include reg-
istering for work and commencing a search 
for employment for a specified number of 
hours each week; 
‘‘(iii) requires, at a minimum, each 
such recipient to participate in activities in 
accordance with the individual responsi-
bility plan;