Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing to evaluate the role of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program in providing assistance to families with little or no income.

The hearing will take place on Thursday, March 11, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. in B-318 Rayburn House Office Building.

In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only.  However, any individual or organization not scheduled to appear may submit a written statement for consideration by the Subcommittee and for inclusion in the record of the hearing. 

BACKGROUND:

The TANF block grant provides fixed-funding to the States for several purposes including to “provide assistance to needy families so that children can be cared for in their own homes or in the homes of relatives.”  In 2008 (the most recent data available), fewer than one out of every four poor children received cash assistance through the TANF program, a steep drop compared to the percentage receiving such aid in the mid 1990s.  TANF caseloads (nationwide) climbed modestly last fiscal year in response to the worst recession in many decades, but this small rise significantly lagged the increased participation in other programs designed to respond to rising need, such as food stamps and unemployment benefits. 

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides up to $5 billion to help States respond to rising TANF caseloads and to establish and/or expand subsidized employment programs.  Funding for this TANF emergency contingency fund currently expires on September 30^th.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman McDermott stated, “During this time of great hardship, it is more important than ever to have a safety net that truly protects struggling families.  However, our Nation’s primary program providing financial assistance to very low-income families  – Temporary Assistance for Needy Families – doesn’t provide assistance to over three-quarters of America’s poor children.  That’s not temporary assistance – it’s no help at all for the vast majority of our most vulnerable children and families.   We need to work on both immediate steps and longer-term solutions to ensure a helping hand for those who need it most.”     

FOCUS OF THE HEARING:

The hearing will focus on the role of the TANF program in providing assistance to families with very low incomes.

DETAILS FOR SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN COMMENTS:

Please Note:  Any person(s) and/or organization(s) wishing to submit for the hearing record must follow the appropriate link on the hearing page of the Committee website and complete the informational forms.  From the Committee homepage, http://waysandmeans.house.gov, select “Hearings”.  Select the hearing for which you would like to submit, and click on the link entitled, “Click here to provide a submission for the record.”  Once you have followed the online instructions, submit all requested information.  ATTACH your submission as a Word or WordPerfect document, in compliance with the formatting requirements listed below, by close of business Thursday, March 25, 2010. Finally, please note that due to the change in House mail policy, the U.S. Capitol Police will refuse sealed-package deliveries to all House Office Buildings.  For questions, or if you encounter technical problems, please call (202) 225-1721 or (202) 225-3625.

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS:

The Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record. As always, submissions will be included in the record according to the discretion of the Committee. The Committee will not alter the content of your submission, but we reserve the right to format it according to our guidelines. Any submission provided to the Committee by a witness, any supplementary materials submitted for the printed record, and any written comments in response to a request for written comments must conform to the guidelines listed below. Any submission or supplementary item not in compliance with these guidelines will not be printed, but will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

            1.   All submissions and supplementary materials must be provided in Word or WordPerfect format and MUST NOT exceed a total of 10 pages, including attachments.  Witnesses and submitters are advised that the Committee relies on electronic submissions for printing the official hearing record.

            2.  Copies of whole documents submitted as exhibit material will not be accepted for printing.  Instead, exhibit material should be referenced and quoted or paraphrased.  All exhibit material not meeting these specifications will be maintained in the Committee files for review and use by the Committee.

            3.  All submissions must include a list of all clients, persons, and/or organizations on whose behalf the witness appears.  A supplemental sheet must accompany each submission listing the name, company, address, telephone, and fax numbers of each witness.

Note:  All Committee advisories and news releases are available on the World Wide Web at http://waysandmeans.house.gov.