PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Congressional Research Service
Version 36 · Passed House amended · Nov 10, 1999
Fathers Count Act of 1999 - Title I: Fatherhood Grant Program - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) to establish fatherhood grant programs for public and private entity projects expressly designed to: (1) promote marriage through counseling, mentoring, disseminating information about the advantages of marriage, enhancing relationship skills, teaching how to control aggressive behavior, and other methods; (2) promote successful parenting through such means, including prepregnancy, disseminating information about good parenting practices; and (3) help fathers and their families avoid or leave cash welfare provided under TANF and improve their economic status by providing work first services, job search and training, subsidized employment, career-advancing education, job retention and enhancement, and other methods. Establishes the following interagency panels: (1) the Fatherhood Grants Recommendations Panel to review and make recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on project applications; and (2) the Fatherhood Grants Recommendations Panel for similar purposes. Outlines grant program provisions, which include providing for matching HHS grants. Provides program and panel funding.(Sec. 101) Amends SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) with regard to the collection of past-due support from Federal income tax refunds to grant States the authority, under certain conditions, to distribute such collected support to a family that includes a child participating in such a project who has ceased to receive cash TANF payments.Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to apply its provisions on services provided by charitable, religious, or private organizations to any entity or project receiving program funds above.Title II: Fatherhood Projects of National Significance - Mandates HHS grant programs for a TANF national clearinghouse to assist States, communities, and private entities in efforts to promote and support marriage and responsible fatherhood by collecting, evaluating, and making available (through the Internet and by other means) to all interested parties, information regarding media campaigns and fatherhood programs and multicity fatherhood projects. Provides funding.Title III: Welfare-To-Work Program Eligibility - Amends SSA title IV part A to revise the eligibility criteria for participation in TANF welfare-to-work (WtW) programs with regard to noncustodial parents, recipients with characteristics or long-term dependency, children aging out of foster care, and certain other individuals.(Sec. 302) Includes limited vocational educational and job training as allowable activities under WtW programs grant fund limitations.(Sec. 303) Authorizes certain WtW program grantees (which are not private industry councils or workforce investment boards) to provide employment services directly.(Sec. 304) Eliminates certain reporting requirements under data collection and reporting provisions, while establishing additional reporting requirements under WtW programs grant fund limitations provisions.(Sec. 305) Amends SSA title IV part D to authorize certain State agencies to disclose to private industry councils the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of potential welfare-to-work program participants.Amends SSA title IV part A to provide for the safeguarding of information disclosed to private industry councils.Title IV: Alternative Penalty Procedure Relating To State Disbursement Units -Amends SSA title IV part D to establish an alternative penalty procedure relating to the non-compliance of State disbursement units for the collection and disbursement of child support payments.Title V: Financing Provisions - Amends SSA title IV part D to direct the Secretary of Education to furnish to the HHS Secretary information in the National Directory of New Hires to assist in the collection of defaulted student loans and grants.(Sec. 502) Amends SSA title IV part A to eliminate the set-aside for successful performance bonus under WtW program grant fund provisions.Reduces FY 1999 WtW program grant appropriations.Title VI: Miscellaneous - Revises provisions for funding evaluation of abstinence education programs, requiring a new interim report to Congress by the HHS Secretary, among other changes with regard to such programs.(Sec. 602) Directs the HHS Secretary to submit a report to Congress on the procedures that States generally use to locate custodial parents for whom child support has been collected but not yet distributed because of an address change.(Sec. 603) Expresses the sense of Congress that the States may use funds provided under TANF to promote fatherhood activities of the type described for fatherhood programs.(Sec. 604) Amends SSA title IV part A to provide additional funding for a welfare evaluation study by the Bureau of the Census.(Sec. 605) Amends SSA title IV part D to revise the payment each State with an approved plan will receive under part D with regard to child abuse and neglect proceedings.(Sec. 606) Provides for the use of new hire information to assist in the administration of unemployment compensation programs.(Sec. 607) Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make certain nonimigrant aliens ineligible for visas and excluded from admission to the United States for nonpayment of child support.Authorizes immigration officers to serve legal process in child support cases on any alien applying for admission to the United States.Authorizes the Secretary of HHS to provide to the Secretary of State and the Attorney General any State agency certification that a nonimmigrant alien owes over $5,000 in back child support in order for them to carry out such exclusion or process serving duties.
People & committees
Rep. Johnson, Nancy L. [R-CT-6] · R–CT
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Received in the Senate.
On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 328 - 93 (Roll no. 586).
House roll call 586 · Individual votesMotion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 328 - 93 (Roll no. 586).
House roll call 586 · Individual votesOn motion to recommit with instructions Failed by recorded vote: 176 - 246 (Roll no. 585). (consideration: CR H11901)
House roll call 585 · Individual votesDEBATE - The House is debating the motion to recommit with instructions offered by Mr. Scott.
Mr. Scott moved to recommit with instructions to Ways and Means.
The House adopted the amendment in the nature of a substitute as agreed to by the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union.
The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
The House rose from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to report H.R. 3073.
REQUEST FOR A RECORDED VOTE VACATED - Mrs. Mink of Hawaii asked unanimous consent that her earlier request for a recorded vote on her amendment numbered 3 (A003) be vacated. Agreed to without objection.
ORDER OF PROCEEDINGS - The Chair announced that proceedings will resume on amendments postponed earlier today in the following order: amendment no. 1 offered by Mrs. Mink, amendment no. 3 offered by Mrs. Mink, and amendment no. 6 offered by Mr. Edwards.
POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - The Chair put the question on agreeing to the amendment offered by Mr. Edwards by voice vote and announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mrs. Johnson of CT demanded a recorded vote and pursuant to H. Res. 367 further proceedings on the amendment were postponed.
DEBATE - Pursuant to H. Res. 367, the Committee is debating the amendment offered by Mr. Edwards for 20 minutes.
DEBATE - The Committee is debating the amendment offered by Mr. Traficant.
DEBATE - Pursuant to H. Res. 367, the Committee is debating the amendment offered by Mr. Cardin for 10 minutes.
POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - The Chair put the question on agreeing to the amendment offered by Mrs. Mink of Hawaii by voice vote and announced that the noes had prevailed. Mrs. Mink demanded a recorded vote and pursuant to H. Res. 367 further proceedings on the amendment were postponed.
DEBATE - Pursuant to H. Res. 367, the Committee is debating the amendment offered by Mrs. Mink of Hawaii for 10 minutes.
DEBATE - Pursuant to H. Res. 367, the Committee is debating the amendment offered by Mr. English for 10 minutes.
POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - The Chair put the question on agreeing to the amendment offered by Mrs. Mink of Hawaii by voice vote and announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. English demanded a recorded vote and pursuant to H. Res. 367 further proceedings on the amendment were postponed.
DEBATE - Pursuant to H. Res. 367, the Committee is debating the amendment offered by Mrs. Mink of Hawaii for 20 minutes.
GENERAL DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with one hour and thirty minutes of general debate on H.R. 3073.
House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union pursuant to H. Res. 367 and Rule XXIII.
The Speaker designated the Honorable John Shimkus to act as Chairman of the Committee.
Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3073 with 1 hour and 30 minutes of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Specified amendments are in order.
Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 367. (consideration: CR H11870-11902)
Rule H. Res. 367 passed House.
Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 367 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3073 with 1 hour and 30 minutes of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Specified amendments are in order.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 263.
Committee on Education and the Workforce discharged.
Committee on Education and the Workforce discharged.
House Committee on Education and the Workforce Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Nov. 5, 1999.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Ways and Means. H. Rept. 106-424, Part I.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Ways and Means. H. Rept. 106-424, Part I.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held by the Subcommittee on Human Resources; Forwarded by the Subcommittee to the Full Committee (Amended) Prior to Introduction.
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Source last updated: Jul 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.3073 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.3073 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.3073 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
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