American Indian Welfare Reform Act

Bill: 108-s-751
Sponsor: Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]
Introduced: 2003-04-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Adoption
Agriculture and Food
Aid to dependent children
Alaska
Automobile insurance
Automobiles
Block grants
Building construction
Case management
Cash welfare block grants
Child health
Child safety
Child support
Collection of accounts
Commerce
Commercial law
Compensatory education
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Construction costs
Counseling
Day care
Demography
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Labor
Depressed areas
Distance education
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Elementary education
Employment subsidies
Enterprise zones
Evaluation research (Social action programs)
Executive reorganization
Families
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to Indians
Federal aid to child health services
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to transportation
Federal-Indian relations
Finance and Financial Sector
Food stamps
Foster home care
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Health
Health insurance
Housing and Community Development
Housing finance
Indian children
Indian economic development
Indian education
Indian housing
Indian medical care
Indigenous peoples
Infrastructure
Job creation
Job hunting
Labor and Employment
Law
Liability (Law)
Management information systems
Marketing
Medicaid
Medically uninsured
Mentoring
Minorities
Minority employment
Native Americans
Nonprofit organizations
Poor children
Poverty
Public-private partnerships
Rental housing
Science, Technology, Communications
Secondary education
Small business
State government-Indian relations
Tax-exempt securities
Teenage pregnancy
Telecommuting
Torts
Transportation and Public Works
Vocational and technical education
Vocational guidance
Welfare eligibility
Welfare work participation

Summary:
action_date: 2003-04-01
text: American Indian Welfare Reform Act - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) reauthorize and extend tribal family assistance grants; (2) replace grants for Indian tribes under the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Training Program with tribal human services program infrastructure improvement and other tribal TANF improvement grants; (3) reauthorize and extend the bonus to reward high performance States; (4) reauthorize and extend the contingency fund for State Welfare Programs; and (5) provide for payments to Indian tribes with approved tribal family assistance plans that are operating in situations of increased economic hardship.
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit Indian tribes to issue tax-exempt qualified Indian private activity bonds.
Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to establish a set-aside for job access and reverse commute grants to Indian tribes and tribal organizations.
Amends SSA title IV part A to provide for grants for: (1) improving the access of Indian families with children to dependable, affordable automobiles to improve their employment opportunities and access to training; and (2) tribal employment services program. Amends the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 with respect to benefits of Indian children.
Amends SSA title IV part A to ensure equitable State plan benefits and services access for each member of an Indian tribe or tribal organization domiciled in the State who is not eligible for tribal family assistance.
Amends SSA title IV part A to provide for parity in treatment of Alaska natives with Indian tribes under the TANF program.
Gives Indian tribes authority to receive funds under SSA title IV part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance).
Amends SSA title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) to make an Indian tribe or tribal organization that administers a social services program eligible for block grant payments.
Amends SSA title IV part A to direct the Secretary to conduct research on tribal family assistance programs and on efforts to reduce poverty among Indians.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2003-04-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2003-04-01
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4633-4635)
action_date: 2003-04-01
text: Introduced in Senate