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Committee hears bill to expand TANF time‑limit hardship exemptions amid testimony about families cut off
Summary
Lawmakers and advocates urged the Human Services, Youth & Early Learning Committee to expand state hardship exemptions that extend Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) past the federal 60‑month lifetime limit, saying thousands of Washington families lost benefits after a post‑COVID provision expired in 2023.
House Bill 1463 would expand the list of hardship circumstances that let the state extend federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits beyond the federal 60‑month cumulative limit.
Supporters told the Human Services, Youth & Early Learning Committee that the bill would restore flexibility some families had during the pandemic and prevent abrupt loss of cash assistance. "TANF is a program that helps families living in deep poverty meet their most basic needs," said Liana Kressen, an advocate with Poverty Action Network, testifying in support. "8,025 people, including 5,274 children, have lost their access to TANF despite ongoing need and deep poverty," she said, citing a recent report.
The bill would allow a time‑limit extension where termination or denial of cash assistance "would result in financial distress for the recipient's family," expanding the current list of hardship categories described in Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) rules. Staff explained that federal rules generally cap an adult's receipt of federal TANF at five cumulative years, but states may define hardship exceptions and extend benefits for up to 20% of the average monthly caseload.
Representative Julio Cortez, the bill's prime sponsor, framed the change as an investment in prevention. "TANF helps families maintain their housing instead of falling into homelessness," Cortez said, adding that reinstating the broader exemption would help families stabilize and avoid deeper system involvement. Multiple testifiers delivered personal accounts of sudden benefit terminations, paperwork struggles and health crises that led to interim loss of aid. Jessica Silver, a mother of five from Bellingham, described reaching her 60‑month limit and losing benefits after a missed document during a child’s medical emergency.
Committee members heard that the provision reinstated in response to the COVID pandemic expired in June 2023 and that thousands of families lost access when it ended. Advocates argued the current exemption regime is administratively complex and produces racial disparities in who receives extensions.
No formal vote was recorded at the hearing. Committee staff and members indicated the bill will proceed through the legislature for further consideration.
