Current Federal Policies | Analysis of Policy Proposals | Workforce Research Analysis of Policy Proposals Representatives Roukema and Tierney Introduce Bipartisan TANF Bill House Education and Workforce Committee members Rep. Marge Roukema (R-NJ) and Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) introduced the "Working from Poverty to Promise Act of 2002" (H.R. 4210) on April 11th. This proposal seeks significant improvements in the TANF program, including several education and training provisions. The bill: eliminates the current 30 percent cap on the percentage of a state's TANF caseload allowed to be engaged in education and training; raises the limit on vocational education from 12 months to 24, with an additional 24 months allowed for 16 hours per week; counts post-secondary education, participation in work-study and internships related to post-secondary education as allowable work activities; requires states to identify barriers in revised individual responsibility plans that are geared toward self-sufficiency; requires states to assess their regional economies; identify areas with labor shortages, entry-level employment opportunities that offer wage rates higher than minimum wage, and expected growth industries; profile the skills level, barriers to employment, and access to support services; and assess their education and training infrastructure in place to prepare recipients for the employment needs identified; and provides an Economic Opportunity and Accountability Bonus of $150 million to the top five states making progress in training, placing, and retaining welfare leavers in the employment identified in these state assessments. The Roukema/Tierney bill also makes poverty reduction a primary goal of TANF, does not count non-cash assistance TANF benefits against recipients' five year time limit, applies an inflationary increase to the TANF block grant and state Maintenance of Effort requirements, and allows states to request extensions of existing waivers. As the only TANF legislation with bi-partisan primary sponsors, it is possible that elements of this bill could serve as a leverage point to improve education and training measures in TANF legislation. Many of the provisions of this legislation are core elements of the Workforce Alliance's TANF reauthorization platform, including increasing the 12-month limit on training, eliminating the 30 percent cap on the percentage of a state's recipients that can be engaged in training activities, including post-secondary education as a countable work activity, and rewarding states for assessing their employment needs, investing in education and training, and moving recipients into higher-wage jobs.