Title: Making further additional continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2019, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
This bill extends the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program through FY2020, and requires states to collect and report data related to program work-requirements.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7264 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7264

  Making further additional continuing appropriations for fiscal year 
                     2019, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 12, 2018

  Mrs. Lowey introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Appropriations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  Making further additional continuing appropriations for fiscal year 
                     2019, and for other purposes.

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

                   TITLE I--CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS

SECTION 101. FULL-YEAR EXTENSION.

    Division C of Public Law 115-245 is amended by striking the date 
specified in section 105(3) and inserting ``September 30, 2019''.

           TITLE II--TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES

SEC. 201. TANF PROGRAM EXTENSIONS.

    (a) Family Assistance Grants.--Section 403(a)(1) of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 603(a)(1)) is amended in each of subparagraphs 
(A) and (C) by striking ``2017 and 2018'' and inserting ``2019 and 
2020''.
    (b) Healthy Marriage Promotion and Responsible Fatherhood Grants.--
Section 403(a)(2)(D) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 603(a)(2)(D)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``2017 and 2018'' and inserting ``2019 and 
        2020''; and
            (2) by striking ``for fiscal year 2017 or 2018''.
    (c) Contingency Fund.--Section 403(b)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
603(b)(2)) is amended by striking ``fiscal year 2018'' and inserting 
``each of fiscal years 2019 and 2020''.
    (d) Tribal Family Assistance Grants.--Paragraphs (1)(A) and (2)(A) 
of section 412(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 612(a)) are each amended by 
striking ``2017 and 2018'' and inserting ``2019 and 2020''.
    (e) Child Care.--Section 418(a)(3) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
618(a)(3)) is amended by striking ``2017 and 2018'' and inserting 
``2019 and 2020''.
    (f) Grants to the Territories.--Section 1108(b)(2) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 1308(b)(2)) is amended by striking ``2017 and 2018'' and 
inserting ``2019 and 2020''.

SEC. 202. MEASURING AND UNDERSTANDING OUTCOMES.

    (a) In General.--Section 411(a) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 611(a)) is amended by redesignating paragraph (7) as paragraph 
(8) and inserting after paragraph (6) the following:
            ``(7) Report on engagement, employment and outcomes.--
                    ``(A) Reporting agreement.--Each State and the 
                Secretary shall enter into an agreement specifying the 
                manner by which the information and data described in 
                this paragraph shall be collected and reported to the 
                Secretary beginning in fiscal year 2020.
                            ``(i) Outcomes for exiting recipients.--
                        Information and data regarding families who 
                        formerly received assistance and included a 
                        work-eligible individual (disaggregated by type 
                        of family, reason for exit, and participation 
                        in work activities during the preceding fiscal 
                        year) under the State program funded under this 
                        part or under any State program funded with 
                        qualified State expenditures (as defined in 
                        section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)), with respect to the 
                        following:
                                    ``(I) The percentage with at least 
                                1 formerly work-eligible individual 
                                employed during the 2nd quarter after 
                                exiting from the program.
                                    ``(II) The percentage with at least 
                                1 formerly work-eligible individual 
                                employed during the 4th quarter after 
                                exiting from the program.
                                    ``(III) The median earnings when at 
                                least 1 formerly work-eligible 
                                individual is employed during the 2nd 
                                quarter after exiting from the program.
                                    ``(IV) The percentage with at least 
                                1 formerly work-eligible individual 
                                employed during any of the first 4 
                                quarters after exiting from the 
                                program.
                                    ``(V) The distribution of income 
                                and earnings, including relative to 
                                poverty and deep poverty, for each of 
                                the first 4 quarters ending after the 
                                quarter of exit from assistance.
                                    ``(VI) The percentage who, at the 
                                time of exit from the program, were 
                                subject to the following:
                                            ``(aa) A penalty under 
                                        section 407(e).
                                            ``(bb) A sanction or 
                                        penalty described in section 
                                        404 or 408.
                                            ``(cc) A penalty or 
                                        sanction not described in item 
                                        (aa) or (bb).
                            ``(ii) Engagement and employment of current 
                        recipients.--
                                    ``(I) Work-eligible individuals.--
                                In the case of current work-eligible 
                                individuals under the State program 
                                funded under this part or under any 
                                State program funded with qualified 
                                State expenditures (as defined in 
                                section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)), the following 
                                information relative to current quarter 
                                being reported:
                                            ``(aa) Earnings in each of 
                                        the 4 quarters immediately 
                                        preceding the quarter.
                                            ``(bb) Standard measures of 
                                        employment, earnings, receipt 
                                        of assistance, and 
                                        participation in work 
                                        activities (as defined in 
                                        section 407(d)) in each of the 
                                        first 4 quarters following the 
                                        quarter.
                                    ``(II) All recipients.--The 
                                percentage of recipients of assistance 
                                under the State program funded under 
                                this part who have not attained 24 
                                years of age and who obtain a high 
                                school degree or its recognized 
                                equivalent while receiving the 
                                assistance.
                    ``(B) Statistical adjustment model for employment 
                outcomes.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
                Secretary of Labor and relevant experts, shall develop 
                recommendations by March 1, 2020, on how to establish 
                and disseminate an objective statistical model that 
                will allow the Secretary to make adjustments to the 
                data reported pursuant to subclauses (I) through (IV) 
                of subparagraph (A)(i) of this paragraph, based on 
                economic conditions and the characteristics of 
                participants. To the extent practicable, the 
                recommendations shall be compatible with the 
                statistical adjustment model developed under section 
                116(b)(3)(A)(viii) of the Workforce Innovation and 
                Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3141(b)(3)(A)(viii)) and, 
                with respect to a State, the State adjusted levels of 
                performance established for the State under that 
                section.''.

SEC. 203. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO DATA EXCHANGE STANDARDS TO IMPROVE 
              PROGRAM COORDINATION.

    (a) In General.--Section 411(d) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 611(d)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) Data Exchange Standards for Improved Interoperability.--
            ``(1) Designation.--The Secretary shall, in consultation 
        with an interagency work group established by the Office of 
        Management and Budget and considering State government 
        perspectives, by rule, designate data exchange standards to 
        govern, under this part--
                    ``(A) necessary categories of information that 
                State agencies operating programs under State plans 
                approved under this part are required under applicable 
                Federal law to electronically exchange with another 
                State agency; and
                    ``(B) Federal reporting and data exchange required 
                under applicable Federal law.
            ``(2) Requirements.--The data exchange standards required 
        by paragraph (1) shall, to the extent practicable--
                    ``(A) incorporate a widely accepted, non-
                proprietary, searchable, computer-readable format, such 
                as the eXtensible Markup Language;
                    ``(B) contain interoperable standards developed and 
                maintained by intergovernmental partnerships, such as 
                the National Information Exchange Model;
                    ``(C) incorporate interoperable standards developed 
                and maintained by Federal entities with authority over 
                contracting and financial assistance;
                    ``(D) be consistent with and implement applicable 
                accounting principles;
                    ``(E) be implemented in a manner that is cost-
                effective and improves program efficiency and 
                effectiveness; and
                    ``(F) be capable of being continually upgraded as 
                necessary.
            ``(3) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection 
        shall be construed to require a change to existing data 
        exchange standards found to be effective and efficient.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--Not later than the date that is 24 months 
after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services shall issue a proposed rule that--
            (1) identifies federally required data exchanges, include 
        specification and timing of exchanges to be standardized, and 
        address the factors used in determining whether and when to 
        standardize data exchanges; and
            (2) specifies State implementation options and describes 
        future milestones.
                                 <all>