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HR 4538 117th Congress House

Benefits to Employment Act

Official title: To amend title IV-A of the Social Security Act, and for other purposes.

Introduced: July 19, 2021 Introduced by: Smith, Jason Republican · Missouri See on congress.gov
Social Welfare
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This bill died when the 117th Congress ended
It never became law before the 117th Congress (2021–2022) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 19, 2021
Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
Jul 19, 2021
Introduced in House
Jul 19, 2021
Referred to the Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support.
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 Latest action July 19, 2021

Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Benefits to Employment Act

This bill modifies the required content of, and renames, individual responsibility plans under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Generally, these plans document employment goals and work activities for certain recipients of TANF assistance; states may reduce TANF assistance to recipients who fail without good cause to comply with their plans.

Specifically, the bill requires the plans to contain more specific content, such as the number of hours a recipient must participate in work activities. It also changes the name from individual responsibility plans to individual opportunity plans.

In addition, states must develop plans for all recipients who are required to engage in work as a condition of receiving TANF assistance. (Under current law, states have the option of developing the plans for certain recipients.) States must also meet with TANF recipients periodically to review and update their plans.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4538: Benefits to Employment Act. 117th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-4538/
MLA
"H.R. 4538: Benefits to Employment Act." 117th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-4538/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4538, 117th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-4538/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4538: Benefits to Employment Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-4538/)
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