October 3, 2002 Action Alert on Legislation Regarding Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)

With just over two weeks left in the current session of Congress, the Senate still has not scheduled a vote on reauthorization of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.

On September 30 the National Conference of State Legislatures and the American Public Human Resources Association sent a memo to congressional leaders urging them to approve a three year extension of the current TANF program, with some small changes. They have requested an annual $600 million increase in child care subsidies to meet growing need. The two organizations pointed out that the states are facing budget gaps in 2003 totaling $58 billion and need certainty about what their income will be for welfare programs. Also, many states budget on a two-year cycle and need to know about funding levels before they approve budgets.

There is a report coming from some Senate staff indicating that Sen. Daschle would bring the Finance Committee’s bill to the floor for a vote only if he can get an agreement from Senators to have a straight up-or-down vote with limited debate and no amendments.

PLEASE continue to urge your Senators to support the Finance Committee TANF reauthorization bill and to support increased child care funding. In particular, please urge them to insist on:

-- retaining the current 30 hour work requirement;

-- keeping the expanded list of acceptable work activities (including education and training) in the Finance Committee bill;

-- allowing people who are working to receive reduced TANF benefits without counting the period of receipt against their lifetime limits for eligibility; and

-- preserving the state option to assist legal immigrants.

There will be pressure from the Administration and many House members to raise the work requirement as close as possible to 40 hours. This must be resisted. At least one Senator is committed to eliminating all expansions of benefits for legal immigrants, and that effort too must be opposed.

- Mary Cooper, National Council of Churches