Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services for Success Act
This bill renames the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program as the Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services (JOBS) program, reauthorizes the program through FY2024, and makes changes relating to work requirements for beneficiaries.
States providing aid under the program shall create an individual opportunity plan for each beneficiary. States shall impose work requirements on all work-eligible beneficiaries, and shall reduce benefits for noncompliance. (Currently, individual plans are optional under TANF, and states have discretion as to whether to reduce benefits for noncompliant individuals.)
States providing aid shall meet annual performance targets related to the number of beneficiaries who exit the program and find unsubsidized employment. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall reduce grants to states that fail to meet such targets. States shall provide data related to beneficiary employment and wages to HHS, which shall be publicly available.
The bill modifies various limitations on the use of funds for various purposes, and establishes that at least 25% of funds from various grants shall be spent on core activities.
Certain existing laws relating to monitoring and recovering improper benefits payments shall apply to the JOBS program.
The bill eliminates programs providing (1) supplemental grants for population increases, (2) bonuses for high performance states, (3) welfare-to-work grants, and (4) contingency funds for state welfare programs.
| Action Date | Type | Text | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-14 | Committee | Referred to the Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support. | House committee actions |
| 2019-03-14 | IntroReferral | Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means. | House floor actions |
| 2019-03-14 | IntroReferral | Introduced in House | Library of Congress |