TANF REFORM

While we seek thorough-going and long-term changes to end women's poverty, we also are working to reform the current welfare system (TANF) to end its rights abuses, to improve the vocational and educational choices available to participating mothers, and to provide income support to poor families. During the years-long TANF reauthorization debate, we have supported legislative proposals that forward the principles enumerated below.

A Legislative Agenda for TANF Reform

To enforce TANF's first goal, "to provide federal assistance to needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes or homes of relatives" (P.L. 104-193):

1. Stop the clock (on time limits) for education/training

2. Stop the clock for families in compliance

3. Stop the clock where there is a lack of child care

4. Stop the clock for domestic violence survival

5. Stop the clock for sexual harassment survival

6. Stop the clock for caregiving for children under age 6

7. Stop the clock where the TANF monthly benefit is less than half of the family's monthly income

8. Amend the work requirement so that family work counts as work where children are under age six

9. Amend the work requirement so that education counts as work

   1. Define education as 2 or 4 year academic degree program; vocational education; skills training

   2. Protect academic/vocational freedom by ending caseworker discretion to approve/disapprove the content of education

10. Repeal paternity establishment and child support enforcement sanctions 

11. Prohibit the family cap

12. Provide federal monitoring of child care standards

13. Provide federal monitoring of access to welfare and impact of state policies on well-being of women and children

14. Establish federal benefits standards

15. Prohibit proselytizing, faith-based instruction, and discrimination in all welfare agences, ngo's, work activities, and welfare-to-work programs

16. Enforce the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII, and the Equal Pay Act in all work activities and programs

17. Require states to report anually on the depth of child poverty as well as on the child poverty rate

18. Keep full TANF '96 appropriations

19. End the exemption cap

20. Restore the child care entitlement for families participating in or exiting from TANF

WC100 Senate letter February 2005

Click for more information or to sign on to the Women's Committee of 100 Immodest Proposal.