[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 574 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 574

 To amend part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to toll the 5-
   year limit for assistance under the temporary assistance to needy 
      families program for recipients who live in a State that is 
          experiencing significant increases in unemployment.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 7, 2003

  Mr. Corzine (for himself and Mrs. Murray) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend part A of title IV of the Social Security Act to toll the 5-
   year limit for assistance under the temporary assistance to needy 
      families program for recipients who live in a State that is 
          experiencing significant increases in unemployment.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Unemployment Protection for Low-
Income Families on TANF Act of 2003'' or the ``UPLIFT Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. DISREGARD OF MONTHS OF ASSISTANCE RECEIVED DURING PERIODS OF 
              HIGH UNEMPLOYMENT.

    (a) In General.--Section 408(a)(7) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 608(a)(7)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(H) Disregard of assistance received during 
                periods of high unemployment.--
                            ``(i) In general.--In determining the 
                        number of months for which an adult has 
                        received assistance under a State or tribal 
                        program funded under this part, the State or 
                        tribe shall disregard any month in which the 
                        State is determined to be a high unemployment 
                        State for that month.
                            ``(ii) Definition of high unemployment 
                        state.--For purposes of clause (i), a State 
                        shall be considered to be a high unemployment 
                        State for a month if it satisfies either of the 
                        following criteria:
                                    ``(I) State rate of unemployment.--
                                The average--
                                            ``(aa) rate of total 
                                        unemployment (seasonally 
                                        adjusted) in the State for the 
                                        period consisting of the most 
                                        recent 3 months for which data 
                                        are available has increased by 
                                        the lesser of 1.5 percentage 
                                        points or by 50 percent over 
                                        the corresponding 3-month 
                                        period in either of the 2 most 
                                        recent preceding fiscal years; 
                                        or
                                            ``(bb) insured unemployment 
                                        rate (seasonally adjusted) in 
                                        the State for the most recent 3 
                                        months for which data are 
                                        available has increased by 1 
                                        percentage point over the 
                                        corresponding 3-month period in 
                                        either of the 2 most recent 
                                        preceding fiscal years.
                                    ``(II) National rate of 
                                unemployment.--The average rate of 
                                total unemployment (seasonally 
                                adjusted) for all States for the period 
                                consisting of the most recent 3 months 
                                for which data for all States are 
                                published equals or exceeds 6.5 
                                percent.
                            ``(iii) Duration.--A State that is 
                        considered to be a high unemployment State 
                        under clause (ii) for a month shall continue to 
                        be considered such a State until the rate that 
                        was used to meet the definition as a high 
                        unemployment State under that clause for the 
                        most recently concluded 3-month period for 
                        which data are available, falls below the level 
                        attained in the 3-month period in which the 
                        State first qualified as a high unemployment 
                        State under that clause.''.
                                 <all>