TANF, Child Care, Marriage Promotion, and Responsible Fatherhood Provisions in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (S. 1932)

Publication Date: January 2006

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

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Research Area: Government

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Abstract:

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA, S. 1932) includes a scaled-back version of welfare reauthorization. Enactment of the DRA would end the four-year saga of welfare reauthorization legislation. The DRA would extend funding at current levels for basic state grants under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant through Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, and has provisions that require states to either raise participation in work activities among families receiving cash welfare from TANF or further reduce the cash assistance rolls. The DRA also would extend Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) mandatory funding through FY2010, increasing mandatory child care funding by $200 million per year from current levels (a total increase of $1 billion over five years). The DRA would further establish $100 million per year in TANF research and technical assistance funds for "healthy marriage promotion" initiatives and $50 million per year for "responsible fatherhood initiatives." This report will be updated.