H.R.6945 — Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act
House Roll Call
H.R.6945
| Bill | H.R.6945 — Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act |
|---|---|
| Vote question | On Passage |
| Vote type | Yea-and-Nay |
| Result | Passed |
| Totals | Yea 215 / Nay 209 / Present 0 / Not Voting 7 |
| Party | Yea | Nay | Present | Not Voting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 214 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| D | 1 | 209 | 0 | 3 |
| I | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Research Brief
On Passage
Bill Analysis
Bill: H.R. 6945 – Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families Act (119th Congress)
Core purpose:
H.R. 6945 restricts how states can use certain federal welfare funds to limit or exclude support for pregnancy resource centers and similar entities that assist pregnant and parenting women.
What it does:
- Amends the Social Security Act’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program to bar the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from disapproving a state’s TANF plan, or withholding TANF funds, solely because the state:
- Provides TANF-funded services or payments to pregnancy resource centers or similar organizations; or
- Includes such entities in its TANF plan as providers of services to pregnant or parenting women and families.
- Effectively prevents HHS from using administrative guidance, regulation, or plan-approval authority to penalize states for partnering with or funding these organizations under TANF.
Funding and authorities:
- Does not create new funding streams; it governs use of existing TANF block grant funds and related state maintenance-of-effort funds.
- Reinforces state discretion over TANF-funded services within existing statutory purposes (e.g., assisting needy families, preventing out-of-wedlock pregnancies, encouraging two-parent families).
- Limits HHS’s oversight authority in this narrow context by specifying that support for pregnancy resource centers cannot be the basis for disapproval or financial sanctions.
Programs and agencies affected:
- Primary program: TANF (Title IV-A of the Social Security Act).
- Federal agency: HHS, particularly the Administration for Children and Families, which reviews and approves state TANF plans.
- State agencies: State TANF administering agencies gain clearer legal protection when contracting with or funding pregnancy resource centers.
Who benefits or is regulated:
- Beneficiaries:
- Pregnancy resource centers and similar nonprofits that provide counseling, material support, and referrals to pregnant and parenting women.
- Pregnant and parenting low-income women and families who may receive TANF-funded services through these entities.
- Regulated/Constrained:
- HHS, by limiting grounds for disapproving state TANF plans or imposing penalties.
Timelines:
- Takes effect upon enactment; applies to current and future TANF state plans and funding decisions from that point forward.
Yea (215)
K
Ken Calvert
S
Scott Franklin
L
Lisa McClain
J
John Rutherford
D
David Schweikert
P
Pete Sessions
Nay (209)
J
Jason Crow
L
Lloyd Doggett
J
John Garamendi
J
John Mannion
L
Lucy McBath
R
Rashida Tlaib
N
Nydia Velázquez
D
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
