Action Alert:
U.S. Senate Finance Committee Action on Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

See Important June 22, 2002, Update ...

The Senate Finance Committee is currently scheduled to begin marking up its welfare bill June 25-26. If your Senator is on the Finance Committee, please contact him/her urging support for legislation that would:

1. Focus on poverty reduction.

A central goal of TANF should be poverty reduction, not just caseload reduction. Cash benefits, combined with wages and supportive services, must be sufficient to let each family meet its basic needs. Former TANF recipients should never receive less in combined benefits and income while working than they received while on TANF.

2. Be adequately funded.

TANF funding should be increased at least to accommodate increases in the cost of living, with states required to continue the current maintenance of effort levels, to assure that all who are eligible can be served.

3. Provide education and training and eliminate barriers to employment.

Priority should be given at every level to eliminating barriers to employment such as providing training and education to help unskilled workers get and hold jobs, and providing all low-wage workers with critical support services (health care, quality childcare, tax credits, transportation and housing assistance). Job placements through TANF should have family-sustaining wages and comply with workplace protection laws.

4. Serve all who need help.

TANF should be available to all people in need. This includes legal immigrants, whose eligibility for benefits should be the same as that of citizens, and those who cannot work outside the home because of physical or mental handicaps, care-giving responsibilities, or multiple barriers to employment.

5. Give states flexibility with regard to time limits.

Flexibility should be increased regarding time limits, so that those who comply with program requirements but still need help to meet family needs may remain eligible beyond the established deadlines. States should have increased flexibility to exempt part of their caseloads from time limits on the basis of special needs.

If your Senator is not on Finance, please ask her/him to encourage Finance colleagues to support such legislation.

PLEASE PHONE OR FAX YOUR SENATORS. Mail delivery to Congress is very slow because of anti-terrorism precautions. You can find your Senator’s home page with contact information at www.senate.gov

Members of the Finance Committee are:

Independent - James Jeffords, VT

June 13, 2002