Northern Marianas Family Assistance Act
Bill: H.R.1773 | Sponsor: Del. Sablan, Gregorio Kilili Camacho (D-MP)
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
Northern Marianas Family Assistance Act
This bill expands eligibility for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to include the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). It also makes certain TANF provisions, including those related to child support enforcement and mandatory work requirements, inapplicable to that territory.
In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services must

To make the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands eligible for 
  the program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for 
                needy families, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Northern Marianas Family Assistance 
Act''.

SEC. 2. ELIGIBILITY OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS 
              FOR THE TANF PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 419(5) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 619(5)) is amended by striking ``and American Samoa'' and 
inserting ``American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands''.
    (b) Family Assistance Grant.--
            (1) In general.--Section 403(a)(1)(B) of such Act (42 
        U.S.C. 603(a)(1)(B)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``specified in'' and inserting ``in 
                effect for purposes of''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following: 
                ``Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, the State 
                family assistance grant for the Commonwealth of the 
                Northern Mariana Islands for each fiscal year shall be 
                the lesser of the amount that equals 80 percent of the 
                total expenditures of the Commonwealth under the 
                Commonwealth program funded under this part in the 
                fiscal year, or the mandatory ceiling amount (as 
                defined in section 1108) with respect to Guam.''.
            (2) Appropriation.--Section 403(a)(1)(C) of such Act (42 
        U.S.C. 603(a)(1)(C)) is amended by adding at the end the 
        following: ``The dollar amount in effect under this 
        subparagraph for a fiscal year shall be the amount specified in 
        the preceding sentence increased by the mandatory ceiling 
        amount (as defined in section 1108) with respect to Guam, and 
        an amount equal to that increase shall be reserved for a grant 
        under this paragraph to the Commonwealth of the Northern 
        Mariana Islands.''.
    (c) Eligibility for the Contingency Fund.--
            (1) In general.--Effective on October 1 of the 5th fiscal 
        year immediately following the 1st fiscal year referred to in 
        subsection (g):
                    (A) Eligibility.--Section 403(b)(7) of the Social 
                Security Act (42 U.S.C. 603(b)(7)) is amended by 
                striking ``States and the District of Columbia'' and 
                inserting ``States, the District of Columbia, and the 
                Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands''.
                    (B) Exclusion from limitation on payments to the 
                territories.--Section 1108(a)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
                1308(a)(2)) is amended by inserting ``, or any payment 
                made to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
                Islands under section 403(b)'' before the period.
            (2) Development of needy state criteria.--As soon as is 
        practicable but not later than the date paragraph (1) of this 
        subsection takes effect, the Secretary of Health and Human 
        Services shall work with the Government of the Commonwealth of 
        the Northern Mariana Islands to develop the criteria to be used 
        in determining whether, on or after such date, the Commonwealth 
        is a needy State for purposes of section 403(b) of the Social 
        Security Act, which shall not include the criteria used by the 
        Bureau of Labor Statistics in determining unemployment or the 
        caseload criteria used in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 
        Program.
    (d) Inapplicability of Certain Requirements and Prohibition.--
            (1) State plan requirements relating to operation of child 
        support enforcement and foster care and adoption assistance 
        programs.--Section 402(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
        602(a)) is amended in each of paragraphs (2) and (3) by adding 
        at the end the following: ``The preceding sentence shall not 
        apply with respect to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
        Islands.''.
            (2) Mandatory work requirements.--Sections 407 and 
        409(a)(3) of such Act shall not apply to the Commonwealth of 
        the Northern Mariana Islands.
            (3) Ban on assistance for families not assigning certain 
        support rights to the state.--Section 408(a)(3) of such Act (42 
        U.S.C. 608(a)(3)) is amended by adding at the end the 
        following: ``The preceding sentence shall not apply with 
        respect to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.''.
            (4) Maintenance of effort requirement.--Section 409(a)(7) 
        of such Act shall not apply to the Commonwealth of the Northern 
        Mariana Islands.
    (e) Assessment of Work, Employment, and Training Program.--The 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall seek to negotiate an 
agreement with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands under 
which the performance of the work, employment, and training program of 
the Commonwealth will be assessed.
    (f) Transition Provisions.--With respect to each of the 4 fiscal 
years immediately following the 1st fiscal year referred to in 
subsection (g) of this section:
            (1) Exemption from limitation on use of grant for 
        administrative expenditures.--Section 404(b) of the Social 
        Security Act shall not apply to the Commonwealth of the 
        Northern Mariana Islands.
            (2) Inapplicability of penalty for failure of state 
        receiving amounts from contingency fund to maintain 100 percent 
        of historic effort.--Section 409(a)(10) of such Act shall not 
        apply to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
    (g) Technical Assistance.--Not later than October 1 of the 1st 
fiscal year that begins after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall provide the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands with technical assistance 
in developing a plan to meet the requirements of section 402 of the 
Social Security Act.
    (h) Effective Date.--Except as provided in subsection (c), the 
amendments made by this section shall take effect on October 1 of the 
2nd fiscal year that begins after the date of the enactment of this 
Act.
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