Crs Report for Congress - Welfare Reform: An Issue Overview: March 13, 2003 - Ib93034 (Paperback)

At a hearing on March 12, Tommy Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), urged the Senate Finance Committee to work with him and with the House toward "much-needed" reauthorization of TANF. He said the Administration supports the framework of H.R. 4, passed by the House February 13, and S. 5, the Senate Republican leadership bill, introduced February 14. Except for date changes, H.R. 4 is almost identical to the bill passed by the House last year (H.R. 4737). Both H.R. 4 and S. 5 include concepts first advanced by President Bush, including a 40-hour work week for most TANF recipients and a requirement that states eventually engage 70% of recipients in a work activity. The Senate bill adds new anti-fraud rules and permits states to contract out the determination of eligibility for food stamps. Since October 1, 2002, when the original program expired, TANF and related programs of mandatory child care, transitional medicaid, and abstinence education have been operating under temporary spending authority. The FY2003 Omnibus Appropriation bill (P.L. 108-7) extends these programs on FY2002 terms from March 31 until June 30. The FY2004 budget assumes renewal of TANF block grants ($16.5 billion annually). It also proposes to ...