On September 29, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a bill (S. 1778) to extend the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193) through March 31, 2006. 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 Senate Finance Committee approved a welfare reauthorization bill (S. 667) on March 9 (see The Source, 3/11/05). The House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources approved its version of the measure (H.R. 240) on March 15.
