On December 19, the House approved, by unanimous consent, a bill (H.R. 4635) to extend the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193) through March 31, 2006. The Senate approved the measure by unanimous consent on December 22. It will now go to the White House for President Bush’s signature.
Since its expiration in September 2002, Congress has approved twelve extensions of the 1996 law. The most recent extension will expire on December 31. The conference report for the FY2006 spending reconciliation bill (S. 1932) incorporates the text of a bill (H.R. 240) to reauthorize the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193) through FY2010. The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources approved H.R. 240 on March 15 (see The Source, 3/18/05), and the House Education and the Workforce Committee approved the bill on October 20 (see The Source, 10/21/05).
The House approved the conference report for S. 1932 on December 19. The Senate approved the conference report with minor amendments on December 21. At press time, the House was expected to consider the Senate amendments on December 22.
