HR 692 · 108th Congress 2003–2005, ended

Racial Equity and Fair Treatment Act of 2003

Introduced Feb 11, 2003 Originated House Sponsor Eddie Bernice Johnson D-TX

Fact sheet Spreadsheet

Latest action · Mar 3, 2003 Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedFeb 11, 2003
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Racial Equity and Fair Treatment Act of 2003 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to States and county applicants to pay the Federal share of the costs of improving the administration of support programs for low-income families with children.

Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act to revise requirements for assessments and work activities for TANF recipients.

Requires: (1) interpretation and translation services in certain cases for TANF recipients; (2) an expedited process for discrimination complaints; (3) provision of notice of rights of TANF recipients; (3) training of TANF program personnel in respecting such rights; (4) standardized sanction process; and (5) opportunity for TANF applicants or recipients to appeal adverse decisions.

Modifies penalties against individuals for violating mandatory work requirements, creating additional exceptions, including those for child care and discrimination.

Prohibits States from diverting potential TANF applicants.

Bans States from penalizing the entire family for the misconduct of one family member.

Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to repeal provisions for denial of assistance and benefits for certain drug-related convictions.

Makes various changes under the TANF program concerning: (1) the five-year time limit on assistance; and (2) treatment of aliens.

Permits participation in English-as-a-second language programs as a work activity.

Prescribes requirements encouraging racial equality.

Cosponsors 24

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 11, 2003 to May 13, 2003; 14 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-CABarbara LeeOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-MICarolyn C. KilpatrickOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-NJDonald M. PayneOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-NYEdolphus TownsOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-MDElijah E. CummingsOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-SCJames E. ClyburnOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-ILJanice D. SchakowskyOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-NYMajor R. OwensOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-RIPatrick J. KennedyOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-TXSheila Jackson LeeOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-OHStephanie Tubbs JonesOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-WITammy BaldwinOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-CATom LantosOriginalFeb 11, 2003
D-CABob FilnerFeb 12, 2003
D-FLCorrine BrownFeb 12, 2003
D-CAFortney Pete StarkFeb 12, 2003
D-WAJim McDermottFeb 12, 2003
D-OHSherrod BrownFeb 12, 2003
D-CALynn C. WoolseyFeb 13, 2003
D-AZRaúl M. GrijalvaFeb 13, 2003
D-OHDennis J. KucinichFeb 27, 2003
D-ILJesse L. Jackson, Jr.Mar 27, 2003
D-OREarl BlumenauerMay 13, 2003

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseWays and Means Committee
Referred Feb 11, 2003
Work and Welfare Subcommittee
Referred Mar 3, 2003

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Mar 3, 2003Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources.
  2. Feb 11, 2003Introduced in House
  3. Feb 11, 2003Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To provide for racial equity and fair treatment under the program of block grants to States for temporary assistance for needy families.
Short Titles as Introduced
Racial Equity and Fair Treatment Act of 2003

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Social Welfare.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Feb 11, 2003Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.