WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Human Resources Subcommittee Chairman Vern Buchanan (R-FL) today praised the final legislation of the 21st Century Cures Act, commonly known as the “Cures Act,” for including provisions from the Ways and Means Committee that will improve the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and child welfare programs. 

“The Cures Act will help families in more ways than one. I’m proud this historic legislation also includes solutions that will lift families out of poverty and ensure more children grow up in stable homes,” said Chairman Brady. “Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Buchanan and Congressman Todd Young, the Cures Act will strengthen critical welfare programs to ensure that they deliver real results for the Americans who are most in need. These bills demonstrate our commitment to improving outcomes for children, their families, and communities across America. I appreciate Chairman Upton’s leadership and his work on including these important bills in the Cures Act. I look forward to passing the Cures Act in the House this week.”

“We know that strong families make for strong communities, which is why I’m thrilled that my bill and other pro-family bills were included as a part of the groundbreaking 21st Century Cures Act,” said Chairman Buchanan. “We need to invest in proven prevention services, including substance abuse treatment, that will keep families together. This important provision will make sure that children are protected and families are not split up unnecessarily. Our current system creates a perverse incentive to place children in foster care. Breaking up families should be a last resort.”

The following bills included in the Cures Act have already been approved by the Ways and Means Committee and the full House through regular order:

• H.R. 5456, the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016 (Sponsored by Chairman Buchanan), strengthens families by promoting evidence-based prevention services to keep more children safely at home and out of foster care.

• H.R. 5170, the Social Impact Partnerships to Pay for Results Act (Rep. Todd Young), supports innovative and effective social programs that deliver real results. It also provides for a one-year extension of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, whose authorization expired at the end of FY 2016, and has been temporarily extended since then.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the bills.

CLICK HERE to read a Washington Post op-ed by House and Senate leaders about the Family First Prevention Services Act.