About HR6918

Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act

Policy Area: Health

Sponsor: Rep. Fischbach, Michelle [R-MN-7] (R-MN)

Latest Action (2024-01-22): Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Summary

Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act This bill prohibits the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing (with respect to certain pregnancy centers) a provision of a proposed rule modifying the standard for a state's reasonable use of funds under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The proposed rule provides that if ACF identifies a TANF expenditure that does not appear to reasonably accomplish a purpose of TANF then the state must show that it used the funds in a manner that a reasonable person would consider to be within one of the purposes. The bill prohibits ACF from applying this standard to state expenditures for pregnancy centers that (1) support protecting the life of the mother and the unborn child; and (2) offer resources and services to mothers, fathers, and families, including but relationship counseling, prenatal and pregnancy education, pregnancy testing, diapers, baby clothes, or material supports. Under current law, TANF funds may be used for any of four purposes, including to prevent and reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies. In the supplemental information to the proposed rule, ACF states that TANF expenditures for programs that exclusively or primarily provide pregnancy counseling to women only after they become pregnant have a tenuous or nonexistent connection to this purpose and, therefore, likely do not meet the proposed reasonableness standard.

Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures, Department of Health and Human Services, Health programs administration and funding, Sex and reproductive health, Women's health

Who Voted How on HR6918

Filter by Yea, Nay, or Absent

Other Contested Bills