Current Federal Policies | Analysis of Policy Proposals | Workforce Research Analysis of Policy Proposals Senate Republicans Introduce TANF Bill On June 19, 2002, Senators Tim Hutchison (R-AR) and Jeff Sessions (R-AL) introduced TANF legislation (S. 2648) similar to the TANF reauthorization bill passed by the House of Representatives in May. Like the House plan, "The Working Towards Independence Act" largely follows President Bush's priorities for TANF reauthorization. In terms of work, education and training, the bill: Requires families to participate in work activities for 40 hours per week, and requires that 24 of those hours be spent in direct work or work activities. Work activities are limited to: unsubsidized employment, subsidized private sector employment, subsidized public sector employment, on-the-job training, supervised work experience, and supervised community service. The remaining 16 hours are left to the states to specify how they are used, but may include work-related education or training, job search or job-readiness assistance, substance abuse counseling or treatment, and rehabilitation treatment and services, among other activities. Raises state work participation rates to 70 percent (up from the current 50 percent by five percent per year until 2007). Makes TANF a mandatory partner in the WIA one-stop system unless a state's governor chooses to opt out of this provision. The bill also provides a bonus to reward employment achievement and would measure state performance in the areas of employment entry, job retention, and increased earnings. This bill does differ from the House bill in terms of education and training in that it allows 12 months for education and training out of every 24 months (the House bill allows only four; current law provides only 12), but retains the current 30 percent cap on the percentage of a state's caseload that can be engaged in education and training. This bill also includes the Workforce Investment Act in its "superwaiver" provision (similar to that in the House bill), which would allow states to seek exemptions from many federal rules governing a number of social service programs. The legislation does not, however, contain the same cross reference to WIA in the House bill that assured that nothing beyond existing waiver authority in WIA would be able to be requested to be waived by governors. Elements of this bill may be offered as amendments to the TANF bill when it reaches the Senate floor.