Current Federal Policies | Analysis of Policy Proposals | Workforce Research See Proposal Text Analysis of Policy Proposals Rep. Mink Introduces TANF Reauthorization Bill (H.R. 3113) On October 12th, Rep. Patsy Mink (D-HI) and members of the Progressive Caucus introduced a bill (H.R. 3113) to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. While the Mink bill retains the basic structure of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act passed in 1996, the bill targets the challenges that continue to prevent welfare recipients from leaving poverty. In terms of education and training, the bill directs work efforts to higher-wage jobs and seeks to expand training and education options for TANF recipients. In particular, the bill seeks to: remove the 12-month limit on the amount of time a recipient can engage in training; recognize education, including post-secondary, literacy, ESL and GED, as work activities; and eliminate the 30 percent cap on the percentage of a state's recipients that can be engaged in education and training activities. The bill targets higher wage jobs by requiring states to help survey regional economies to identify jobs that lead to self-sufficiency, and by specifying criteria for a high performance bonus that rewards states for assisting individuals in obtaining and retaining employment at jobs that lift them out of poverty. Removal of the 12-month limit on training, eliminating the 30 percent cap on the percentage of a state's recipients that can be engaged in education and training activities, and targeting higher-wage jobs are core elements of the Workforce Alliance's TANF reauthorization platform.