I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 2952 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 7, 2015 Mr. Boustany introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means A BILL To provide payments to States for increasing the employment, job retention, and earnings of former TANF recipients.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Improving Employment Outcomes of TANF Recipients Act . 2. Increasing economic mobility of TANF recipients (a) In general Section 403(a)(4) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 603(a)(4) ) is amended to read as follows: (4) Increasing economic mobility of TANF recipients (A) In general The Secretary shall make a grant under this paragraph to each State, with respect to each fiscal year for which the State achieves the requisite level of performance with respect to an indicator described in subparagraph (C)(ii), in the immediately succeeding fiscal year. (B) Amount of grant (i) In general The amount of the grant payable to a State with respect to a fiscal year for which the State achieves the requisite level of performance with respect to an indicator described in subparagraph (C)(ii) shall be the following: (I) 40 percent of the available amount with respect to the State for the fiscal year, if the indicator is described in subparagraph (C)(ii)(I). (II) 30 percent of the available amount with respect to the State for the fiscal year, if the indicator is described in subparagraph (C)(ii)(II). (III) 30 percent of the available amount with respect to the State for the fiscal year, if the indicator is described in subparagraph (C)(ii)(III). (ii) Available amount defined In clause (i), the term ‘available amount’ means, with respect to a State and a fiscal year, the amount (if any) by which— (I) the State family assistance grant that would be payable to the State for the fiscal year in the absence of this paragraph; exceeds (II) the State family assistance grant actually payable to the State for the fiscal year. (C) Measuring State performance (i) In general Each State, in consultation with the Secretary, shall establish levels of performance for each indicator described in clause (ii), for fiscal year 2017 and each fiscal year thereafter. (ii) Indicators The indicators described in this clause are the following: (I) The percentage of former adult recipients of assistance under the State program funded under this part or any other State program funded with qualified State expenditures (as defined in section 409(a)(7)(B)(i)) who, while such recipients, were required to be engaged in work in accordance with section 407, and are in unsubsidized employment during the 2nd quarter after exiting from the program. (II) The percentage of former recipients of such assistance who are in unsubsidized employment during the 4th quarter after exiting from the program. (III) The percentage change in median earnings of former recipients of such assistance who are in unsubsidized employment in the 4th quarter after exiting from the program compared with the median earnings of former recipients who are in unsubsidized employment in the 2nd quarter after exiting from the program. (iii) Agreement on requisite performance level for each indicator (I) Fiscal years 2017 and 2018 Each State shall reach agreement with the Secretary on the requisite level of performance for each indicator described in clause (ii), for each of fiscal years 2017 and 2018. (II) Fiscal years 2019 and 2020 Each State shall reach agreement with the Secretary, before fiscal year 2019, on the requisite level of performance with respect to each indicator described in clause (ii), for each of fiscal years 2019 and 2020. (D) Report on State performance (i) In general Not later than October 1, 2016, the Secretary shall develop a template which each State shall use to report on outcomes achieved under the State program funded under this part. (ii) Contents Each such report shall include— (I) the number of individuals who exited the program during the year; (II) the characteristics of the individuals who exited the program during the year, including information on the length of time for which the individual received assistance under the program; and (III) information specifying the levels of performance achieved with respect to each indicator described in subparagraph (C)(ii). (iii) Publication Not later than September 30 of fiscal year 2019 and of each succeeding fiscal year, the Secretary shall make available to the public electronically each report submitted under this subparagraph during the fiscal year. (E) State failure to meet performance measures (i) Reservation of funds; required State spending If a State fails to achieve the requisite level of performance with respect to an indicator described in subparagraph (C)(ii) of this paragraph and a fiscal year— (I) the Secretary shall reserve the funds that would have been payable to the State under this paragraph if the State had achieved the level; and (II) the level of State expenditures otherwise required to avoid a penalty under section 409(a)(7) in the succeeding fiscal year shall be increased by the amount so reserved. (ii) Corrective action The Secretary shall award to a State all funds reserved under clause (i) for the fiscal year with respect to the State, an indicator, and a fiscal year, in the immediately succeeding fiscal year, if, in the immediately succeeding fiscal year, the State— (I) achieves the requisite level of performance for the State with respect to the indicator; or (II) improves the State’s level of performance with respect to the indicator by at least half of the amount by which the State’s requisite level of performance with respect to the indicator in the fiscal year exceeded the actual level of performance achieved by the State with respect to the indicator in the fiscal year. (F) Funding The following percentages of the amounts appropriated under paragraph (1)(C) for the following fiscal years are reserved for grants under this paragraph for the fiscal years: (i) 4 percent, in the case of fiscal year 2018. (ii) 10 percent, in the case of each of fiscal years 2019 and 2020. . (b) Conforming amendment Section 403(a)(1)(B) of such Act ( 42 U.S.C. 603(a)(1)(B) ) is amended by inserting , reduced by the percentage (if any) specified in paragraph (4)(F) with respect to the fiscal year, before as the amount . (c) Effective date The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on October 1, 2015.