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Welfare Reform and Housing Act

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Apr 11, 2002

Welfare Reform and Housing Act - Amends title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act to authorize States to use State Family Assistance Grants to provide: (1) supplemental housing benefits to, or on behalf of, an individual to reduce or reimburse the individual's costs for housing accommodations; and (2) grants, loans, or other payments for the costs of minor rehabilitation of housing owned or rented by TANF-eligible individuals.Requires State plans to describe: (1) the primary problems that families receiving assistance and families who have recently ceased receiving assistance experience in securing and retaining adequate affordable housing; and (2) the methods adopted to identify and remedy barriers to work posed by living arrangements, housing costs, and housing locations. Requires an individual responsibility plan to include housing-related benefits or services the State or other entities will provide to overcome those barriers.Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development jointly to: (1) develop a uniform data collection and matching protocol to determine the type of subsidized housing received by families receiving assistance and federally- or State-funded housing benefits; and (2) award grants for the conduct and evaluation of demonstrations of different models to provide housing with services.Requires participating States to enter into cooperation agreements with public housing agencies for economic self-sufficiency activities. Authorizes States to invite private owners of federally assisted housing to participate in cooperation agreements.Authorizes the Secretary to make housing assistance available for certain qualified aliens, including battered aliens or their children.

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Who introduced it

Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA] · D–MA

Committees

  • Finance Committee
6 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

  2. Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2587)

  3. Introduced in Senate

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Aug 19, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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