Title: Coronavirus TANF Expansion Act
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
Coronavirus TANF Expansion Act
This bill reauthorizes through December 31, 2020, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and expands TANF eligibility and assistance to respond to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. Specifically, states may (1) allow certain families that have incomes of up to 400% of the federal poverty level and that have experienced reduced incomes because of COVID-19 to receive TANF assistance, and (2) provide additional cash payments to these and other TANF recipients.
The Department of Health and Human Services must increase state and tribal TANF grants to offset increased expenditures that result from these changes. The bill provides appropriations for this purpose.
The bill also suspends TANF work requirements and other conditions during the emergency.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3522 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3522

To extend and expand the temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) 
 program and related programs to respond to the COVID-19 public health 
                   emergency, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 18, 2020

  Mr. Cotton introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To extend and expand the temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) 
 program and related programs to respond to the COVID-19 public health 
                   emergency, 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 ``Coronavirus TANF Expansion Act''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF THE TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES 
              PROGRAM AND RELATED PROGRAMS.

    Activities authorized by part A of title IV and section 1108(b) of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq., 1308(b)) shall continue 
through December 31, 2020, in the manner authorized for fiscal year 
2019, and out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not 
otherwise appropriated, there are hereby appropriated such sums as may 
be necessary for such purpose.

SEC. 3. EXPANDED TANF ELIGIBILITY AND WAIVER OF CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS 
              DURING THE COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY.

    (a) In General.--For each month that occurs on or after the date of 
enactment of this Act during the COVID-19 public health emergency 
period, a State may--
            (1) expand eligibility for basic assistance provided under 
        a State program funded under part A of title IV of the Social 
        Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) or under any other State 
        program funded with qualified State expenditures (as defined in 
        section 409(a)(7)(B)(i) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 609(a)(7)(B)(i)) 
        to eligible families described in subsection (b); and
            (2) provide all families eligible for basic and other 
        assistance under such State programs (including eligible 
        families described in subsection (b)) with a one-time cash 
        payment that is not less than $500 and not more than $1,000 per 
        each dependent in the family.
    (b) Eligible Families.--For purposes of subsection (a), an eligible 
family is a family--
            (1) with children under 18 years of age;
            (2) whose income during the COVID-19 public health 
        emergency period has been reduced as a result of Coronavirus 
        Disease 2019 (COVID-19), including due to a family member's 
        exposure to, or illness from, COVID-19, a quarantine imposed 
        with respect to COVID-19, or the closure of a family member's 
        place of employment, school, or childcare facility due to 
        COVID-19; and
            (3) whose annual income does not exceed 400 percent of the 
        income official poverty line (as defined by the Office of 
        Management and Budget, and revised annually in accordance with 
        section 673(2) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 
        1981) applicable to a family of the size involved.
    (c) Increased State Family Assistance Grants.--
            (1) In general.--From the amounts appropriated under 
        subsection (g), with respect to a State, the Secretary of 
        Health and Human Services shall increase the amount of the 
        State family assistance grant payable under part A of title IV 
        and section 1108(b) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 
        et seq., 1308(b)) for the 2d, 3rd, and 4th quarters of fiscal 
        year 2020 and the 1st quarter of fiscal year 2021 by such 
        amount as the Secretary determines is necessary to offset the 
        increased expenditures of the State resulting from the 
        enactment of this section.
            (2) Disregard from limitation on total payments to 
        territories.--Section 1108(a)(1) of the Social Security Act (42 
        U.S.C. 1308(a)(1)) shall be applied without regard to amounts 
        paid to a territory under this section.
    (d) Suspension of Work Requirements and Rules With Respect to Time 
Limits and Child Support.--For each month that occurs on or after the 
date of enactment of this Act during the COVID-19 public health 
emergency period, the following requirements shall be suspended for 
families receiving basic or other assistance (including eligible 
families described in subsection (b)) under a State program funded 
under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et 
seq.) or under any other State program funded with qualified State 
expenditures (as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 609(a)(7)(B)(i))):
            (1) Time limits for receipt of assistance under section 
        408(a)(7) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 608(a)(7)).
            (2) Work requirements and determination of monthly 
        participation rates under section 407 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 
        607).
            (3) Imposition of individual and State penalties under 
        sections 407, 408, and 409 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 607, 608, 
        609).
            (4) Orders to participate in work activities issued under 
        section 466(a)(15) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 666(a)(15)).
    (e) Application to Tribal Plans.--This section shall apply to an 
Indian tribe with an approved tribal family assistance plan under 
section 412 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 612) in the same manner as this 
section applies to a State.
    (f) COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Period Defined.--In this 
section, the term ``COVID-19 public health emergency period'' means any 
period beginning on or after the date of the enactment of this section 
and before January 1, 2021, that occurs during--
            (1) an emergency period defined in paragraph (1)(B) of 
        section 1135(g) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-
        5(g));
            (2) the emergency involving Federal primary responsibility 
        determined to exist by the President under section 501(b) of 
        the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 5191(b)) with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 
        2019 (COVID-19);
            (3) the national emergency declared by the President under 
        the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) with 
        respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19); or
            (4) a declaration of a state of emergency on the part of a 
        State or Indian tribe with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 
        2019 (COVID-19).
    (g) Appropriation.--Out of any money in the Treasury of the United 
States not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated for the 
period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act and ending on 
December 31, 2020, such sums as are necessary to carry out this 
section. Amounts appropriated under this subsection are designated by 
the Congress as being for an emergency requirement pursuant to section 
251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control 
Act of 1985.
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