GCSA-Washington Roundup

President Announces Administration's TANF (Welfare) Reauthorization Proposal: Recommendations Include Counting Drug Treatment As Work

President Bush announced his proposal for reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF) this week. Created in 1996, TANF is the welfare block grant to States that imposes a five-year lifetime limit on benefits, work requirements for welfare recipients, and sanctions for those who do not comply, including a loss of benefits.

The President's plan explicitly recognizes that addiction can be a barrier to employment and that welfare recipients with alcohol and drug problems need treatment to succeed. Under the Administration's reauthorization proposal, up to three consecutive months of treatment (in any 24 months of receipt of TANF) would count as work for recipients. In addition, States would be able to count individuals in treatment toward their required work participation rates, which they cannot do directly under current law.

The President's proposal would also:

o Maintain the TANF program's current level of funding of $16.6 billion per year through Fiscal Year (FY) 2007. The proposal would re-establish the $2 billion "contingency fund" to provide additional funds to States with high and increasing unemployment and make it easier for States to reserve "rainy day funds" and use them for supportive services.

o Clarify that the definition of "assistance" does not include child care and support services so that receiving them does not trigger work requirements and time limits.

o Increase State work participation requirements. States would be required to increase the percent of welfare recipients participating in work activities from 50 percent in FY 2002 to 70 percent in FY 2007.

o Require States to add to their plans submitted to the Federal government information about how they are addressing services and programs for clients with special problems and outreach to and services for families that are struggling or having trouble complying with TANF requirements.

While a few different TANF reauthorization bills have been introduced, Congress has not taken any action on this issue. Committee hearings on reauthorization could begin as early as this month.

House Committee on Government Reform Holds Hearing on National Drug Control Strategy: Treatment and Prevention Priorities Discussed

This week the House Committee on Government Reform's Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources held a hearing on the recently released National Drug Control Strategy. John Walters, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), was the sole witness at the hearing, appearing to answer questions about the Strategy and the President's FY 2003 budget request. Congressman John Mica (R-FL) chaired the hearing on behalf of Chairman Mark Souder (R-IN) who was unable to attend. Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) also attended the hearing. No other members of the Subcommittee were present.

During his testimony, Director Walters described the goals and principles of the National Drug Control Strategy, including the Strategy's goals of reducing current use of illegal drugs by 10% in the next two years and by 25% in the next five years, and its first two principles of: 1) Stopping drug use before it starts: education and community action, and 2) Healing America's drug users: getting treatment resources where they are needed. Director Walters also described how the President's FY 2003 budget request supports these goals and principles by providing increased funding for prevention and treatment programs, including a $9 million increase for the Drug Free Communities Support Program, a $2 million increase for Drug Courts, a $60 million increase for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant and a $109 million increase for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's Targeted Capacity Expansion Program. In addition to these budget increases, Director Walters described the steps that the Office of National Drug Control Policy is taking to improve the management of the drug control budget as a way to increase competition for resources and invest in programs that work.

In their opening remarks, Congressmen Mica and Cummings expressed support for Director Walters' leadership and the Drug Control Strategy. Congressman Mica, however, expressed concern that many drug treatment programs have poor track records and urged the Office of National Drug Control Policy to create criteria for evaluating the relative success of treatment programs so that programs that are not working would no longer receive government support. Director Walters explained that ONDCP is working the Department of Health and Human Services and the States to improve the delivery of resources and the evaluation of services. However, Director Walters also stated that data collection and performance measurement initiatives are still under development and would be for at least the next year. Congressman Cummings delivered remarks in support of the effectiveness of drug and alcohol treatment services, citing a recent study of Baltimore programs, and urged the complimentary working relationships of drug and alcohol treatment and law enforcement. Additionally, Congressman Cummings asked Director Walters about crack-cocaine sentencing disparities, and Director Walters stated that the Administration was reviewing the issue and would be delivering a recommendation in conjunction with the United States Sentencing Commission within the next several weeks.