Grandfamilies Act of 2019
Latest action · May 23, 2019 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
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.
- IntroducedMay 23, 2019
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Grandfamilies Act of 2019
This bill expands access to specified programs for children living with grandparents or other family members who are not their legal guardian. Specifically, the bill provides that a child of a relative eligible for Old-Age and Survivors Insurance benefits is eligible for such benefit payments if that child (1) began living with such relative before age 18, (2) receives at least 50% of their support from such relative, and (3) has lived with such relative pursuant to a court order for at least 12 months.
Additionally, the bill revises the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) eligibility requirements for children living with specified caretaker relatives. First, the bill lessens the requirement for TANF applicants to assign their rights to child support when such assignment may impact the likelihood of reunifying the child with their noncustodial parent, such as where the noncustodial parent is working to gain financial stability so they may reunify with their child. Further, when a child, but not the caretaker relative, receives TANF benefits (i.e., child-only cases), or if the caretaker relative is 55 or older, the bill (1) excludes such caretaker’s income from that child’s eligibility determination, (2) removes the 5-year cap on assistance, and (3) exempts such caretaker relatives from TANF work requirements.
The bill also (1) encourages states to enact temporary guardianship laws, (2) establishes the National Technical Assistance Center on Grandfamilies, and (3) provides grants supporting caretaker relatives.
Cosponsors 7
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 23, 2019 to Dec 11, 2019; 4 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-NH | Margaret Wood Hassan | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-WI | Tammy Baldwin | Original | May 23, 2019 |
| D-MD | Chris Van Hollen | Sep 9, 2019 | |
| I-ME | Angus S. King Jr. | Dec 4, 2019 | |
| D-NJ | Cory A. Booker | Dec 11, 2019 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Finance Committee | Referred May 23, 2019 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 23, 2019Introduced in Senate
- May 23, 2019Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 2967 | Grandfamilies Act of 2019 | Related bill | May 24, 2019 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to provide greater support for grandfamilies and older caretaker relatives.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Grandfamilies Act of 2019
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Families.
- Adoption and foster care
- Child health
- Child safety and welfare
- Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
- Employment and training programs
- Families
- Family relationships
- Family services
- Food assistance and relief
- Housing and community development funding
- Low- and moderate-income housing
- Medicaid
- Poverty and welfare assistance
- Public housing
- Separation, divorce, custody, support
- Social security and elderly assistance
- State and local government operations
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 23, 2019Introduced in Senate
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.
