Congressional Research Service Reports - 513 Matching Results
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- Child and Dependent Care Tax Benefits: How They Work and Who Receives Them
- This report discusses the workings of the child and dependent care tax benefits and who is eligible.
- Vulnerable Youth: Background and Policies
- This report first provides an overview of the youth population and the increasing complexity of transitioning to adulthood for all adolescents. It also provides a separate discussion of the concept of "disconnectedness," as well as the protective factors youth can develop during childhood and adolescence that can mitigate poor outcomes. Further, the report describes the evolution of federal youth policy, focusing on three time periods, and provides a brief overview of current federal programs targeted at vulnerable youth. (Table A-1 at the end of the report, enumerates the objectives and funding levels of such programs. Note that the table does not enumerate all programs that target, even in small part, vulnerable or disconnected youth.) The report then discusses the challenges of coordinating federal programs for youth, as well as federal legislation and initiatives that promote coordination among federal agencies and support programs with a positive youth development focus.
- The Supplemental Poverty Measure: Its Core Concepts, Development, and Use
- This report describes the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), how it was developed, how it differs from the official poverty measure, and the insights it can offer.
- Child Welfare Funding in Brief: Fiscal Year 2017 Final Funding and the President's Fiscal Year 2018 Request.
- This report discusses the 2017 fiscal year appropriations received for child welfare programs and the fiscal year 2018 budge request for the same.
- Youth Transitioning from Foster Care: Background and Federal Programs
- This report provides background on teens and young adults in and exiting from foster care, and the federal support that is available to these youth as they transition to adulthood. It begins with a discussion of the characteristics of youth who have had contact with the child welfare system, including those who entered care, as well as those who exited care via emancipation because they have reached the legal age of majority. The report then provides an overview of the federal foster care system, including the Chafee Foster Care Independence program (CFCIP), and provisions in federal foster care law that are intended to help prepare youth for adulthood. The report goes on to discuss federal support for youth aging out of care in the areas of education, health care, employment, and housing. The report seeks to understand how states vary in their approaches to serving older youth in care and those who are recently emancipated.
- Extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant in the Consolidated Appropriations Act: In Brief
- This report discusses the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant which provides monthly assistance (welfare) to needy families with children and funding for family and youth poverty alleviation programs such as job training for parents, early childhood education for children, and child care subsidies. Different types of research funded through the appropriations for TANF are also discussed.
- Selected Federal Programs in Which Non-Public Elementary and Secondary Schools and Children May Participate
- This report discusses federal educational and nutritional assistance programs available to children attending private schools.
- Local Welfare Administrators' Comments On the "Welfare Crisis."
- This report discusses local welfare and it points out a wide range of opinions and proposals reflected in the discussions of proposals for improving or changing the exiting system.
- National Welfare Standard--Problems and Proposals
- This report attempts to present some of the factors which must be examined and the issues which must be decided in considering a proposal for national welfare standard, as well as a summary of the arguments which can be made for and against the adoption of national standard.
- New Approaches to Income Maintenance
- This report discusses income maintenance programs and various proposals to reform the system.
- Monetary Work Incentives Under the Original and Revised Family Assistance Plan Proposals as Illustrated in Tables Prepared by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
- This report discusses the Family Assistance Plan (welfare program) and debates regarding work requirements for recipients of cash welfare payments. Tables of data regarding welfare programs in place and their work requirements versus the proposed changes to the bill are included.
- The Family Assistance Act (A Selection of Statements and Articles)
- This report compiles articles for and against The Family Assistance Act in order to represent the variety of views associated with the Act.
- Summary of Provisions of H.R. 1 as Reported by the Senate Committee on Finance With Respect to Public Assistance and Employment Programs for Families with Children
- This report provides a summary of the provisions of H.R. 1, the welfare-social security reform bill as they were reported to the Senate Committee on Finance.
- Problems of Welfare Reform
- This report discusses some major practical problems in welfare reform including national payment levels, fiscal relief to the states, economic effect of welfare on recipients, incentives to work, coverage, and the responsiveness of the system to emergency needs.
- Welfare Reform Background Paper: Data on Current Related Programs
- This report is on Welfare Reform Background Paper: Data on Current Related Programs.
- Comparison of the Family Assistance Act (H.R. 1, 92nd Congress) With Existing Federally Aided Welfare Programs
- This report discusses the Family Assistance Act and compares it with existing welfare legislation.
- Comparison of Proposals Related to Family Assistance
- This report provides a table comparing various legislative proposals to reform the family assistance program and selected materials such as newspaper articles and government publications related to the debate on the subject.
- Evaluation of Public Welfare Programs: Selected References, 1970-1974
- This report is a bibliography that cites published material concerned with the assessments that have been made of Public Welfare Programs and programs sponsored by the Office of Economic Opportunity through the use of evaluation research techniques.
- How the Food Stamp Program Works: A Resource Paper
- This report provides details on the food stamp program in the United States, such as eligibility criteria and how recipients can use their food stamps. In appendices, facts and figures on monthly coupon allotments, purchase requirements, and monthly net income standards are provided for the United States and its territories.
- Agencies Licensed for Inter-Country Adoption
- This report provides a a listing of licensed foreign adoption assistance and liaison groups.
- Food Stamp Program: Summary of 1971 Revisions of Rules and Regulations
- This report discusses changes to the food stamp program made in 1971.
- Background on the Termination of the Food (Commodity) Distributions Program for Needy Families and Individuals
- This report discusses the termination of the Food (Commodity) Distribution Program and the transition to the national Food Stamps program. It provides a brief overview of the history and functioning of the Food Distribution program and the gradual switch to Food Stamp programs in most areas following the passage of the Food Stamp Act in 1964.
- The Present Status of the Subversive Activities Control Board
- This report is about the present status of the subversive activities control board
- The Administration's Family Assistance Plan: Brief Analysis of Selected Issues Related to Work Incentives
- This report discusses President Nixon's 1970 Family Assistance Plan for welfare reform and specifically focuses on issues related to whether the new plan would make working more attractive than welfare.
- Brief Legislative History and Summary of P.L. 91-671, The Food Stamp Act Amendment of 1970
- This report provides a legislative history and summary of the major provisions of the Food Stamp Amendment Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-671).
- Revised Social Services Regulations
- This report provides a listing of welfare and social services regulations and discusses their legislative history.
- H.R. 1--Welfare Reform Provisions (A Selection of Statements and Articles)
- This report discusses welfare reform provisions in H.R. 1 and provides materials discussing various opinions and analyses of the proposals published in newspapers and magazines.
- Guaranteed Income Proposals: Some Pro and Con Arguments
- This report discusses pros and cons of guaranteed income proposals.
- Public Welfare: Selected Bibliographic References
- This report is made up of materials relating to Public Welfare programs under Social Security Act.
- Federal Food Assistance Programs
- This report details the forms of food assistance such as the provision of meals, food subsidies, aid in food purchase, provision of foodstuffs, and supportive food services which are administered by three departments; Department of Agriculture, Community Services Administration, and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare.
- Effects of Social Security Increases on Benefits From Other Programs
- This report summarizes how certain cash and service benefit programs would be affected if Social Security cash benefits increased. Some of the programs mentioned include retirement programs, veteran benefits, food stamps, and housing programs.
- The Family Assistance Act and Other Income Maintenance Proposals
- This report discusses various welfare reform proposals which were introduced in Congress regarding family assistance and income maintenance programs and excerpts of articles regarding welfare reform.
- Urban Development Action Grants For Pockets Of Poverty Issue Brief Number IB79083
- This report discusses the urban development report on the issue of extending the urban development actions grant program to "pockets of poverty"--distressed neighborhoods in generally healthy cities.
- Noncitizen Eligibility for Federal Public Assistance: Policy Overview
- This report discusses the extent to which residents of the United States who are not U.S. citizens should be eligible for federally-funded public aid. This issue meets at the intersection of two major policy areas: immigration policy and welfare policy. This report deals with the four major federal means-tested benefit programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps), the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant programs, and Medicaid.
- Federal Benefits and Services for People with Low Income: Overview of Spending Trends, FY2008-FY2015
- This report is the most recent in a series that attempts to identify and discuss programs that provide federal benefits and services targeted toward low-income populations, focusing on aggregate spending trends. The report looks at federal low-income spending from FY2008 (at the onset of the 2007-2009 recession) through FY2015 (after implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ACA).
- Public Health Service Agencies: Overview and Funding (FY2015-FY2017)
- This report gives a brief overview of the eight agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which are designated components of the U.S. Public Health Services (PHS), and summarizes its funding for FY2015 through FY2017.
- Child Welfare: Reauthorization of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program in the 107th Congress
- This report discusses the reauthorization of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001. The new law maintains the FY2001 mandatory funding level, authorizes additional discretionary funding, and grants new program authority to provide mentoring services for children of prisoners. In addition, the enacted legislation allows states to use Promoting Safe and Stable Families funds for infant "safe haven" programs, provides for reallocation of unused program funds, clarifies language defining family support programs, and gives more explicit instructions to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding use of funds set aside for research, evaluation and technical assistance.
- The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program: How are State Allotments Determined?
- This report discusses the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which is a block grant program under which the federal government provides states annual grants to operate multi-component home energy assistance programs for needy households.
- Charitable Choice Rules and Faith-Based Organizations
- This report discusses the Bush administration's "Charitable Choice" agenda aimed at expanding the ability of faith-based organizations to provide federally funded social services.
- The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions
- This report provides responses to frequently asked questions about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. It is intended to serve as a quick reference to provide easy access to information and data.
- The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP): Program and Funding
- This report discusses Low-Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP) funds for FY2006 and FY2007. It also discusses current issues and legislation related to LIHEAP.
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Size and Characteristics of the Cash Assistance Caseload
- This report examines the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance caseload, focusing on how the composition and characteristics of families receiving assistance have changed over time.
- Child Welfare: Program Reauthorizations and Recent and FY2006 Proposed Funding Levels
- This report discusses current funding levels for child welfare programs, intended to protect children from abuse and neglect and to ensure their well-being. In FY2005 the federal government appropriated $7.8 billion for these purposes. Most of this funding is made available to states through open-ended entitlement programs or as formula grants and is authorized under Title IV-E and Title IV-B of the Social Security Act or under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).
- Community Services Block Grants (CSBG): Background and Funding
- This report provides information on the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), which funds a network of local antipoverty agencies. It begins with background information on the CSBG and related activities, discusses a proposal pending in Congress to reauthorize CSBG and related activities, summarizes a new "Upward Mobility Project" initiative of the Obama Administration, and discusses current and recent funding activities affecting the CSBG.
- The Child Care and Development Block Grant: Background and Funding
- This report discusses several federal programs support child care for low-income families, the principal being a federal block grant program: The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). The CCDBG is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and provides allotments to states, according to a formula, which are used to subsidize the child care expenses of low-income families with children under age 13.
- The Child Support Enforcement Program: A Fact Sheet
- No Description Available.
- Veterans’ Health Care Issues
- This report covers a multitude of health issues veterans face and the actions the U.S. government takes to protect the health of veterans.
- Welfare Reauthorization: Overview of the Issues
- In 2003, 12.3 million children lived in families with incomes below the poverty line (a 17.2% child poverty rate). Research has shown that poverty can have negative consequences on a child’s development. Children depend upon their parents for support, and most of the recent policy attention has focused on initiatives to move poor parents (mostly single mothers) from welfare to work and on reducing welfare dependency.
- Child Welfare: Funding for Child and Family Services Authorized Under Title IV-B of the Social Security Act
- This report provides information about the Funding for Child and Family Services Authorized Under Title IV-B of the Social Security Act for child welfare.
- Child Welfare: Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits for Children in Foster Care
- This report begins with a discussion of the foster care system and the Social Security benefits available to eligible children, including those in foster care. It then describes the role of representative payees and their responsibilities. The report provides data on the use of Social Security benefits to reimburse states for child welfare, and includes a discussion of the Keffeler decision. Finally, the report concludes with proposals supported by some advocates to change the current practice of using SSI and other Social Security benefits to fund foster care, as well as with a discussion of state initiatives to screen all foster children for Social Security and to pass along some benefits to eligible children.