TANF Hygiene Access Act

The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this Act referred to as the Secretary), through the Office of Family Assistance, shall conduct a demonstration program to test innovative uses of funds and outcomes-oriented benchmarks for initiatives to improve the access of low income households to hygiene materials.

In this Act, the term hygiene materials includes soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, shampoo, diapers, baby wipes, postpartum pads, antibacterial hand soap, laundry detergent, dish soap. and any other product related to hygiene as determined by the Secretary.

An eligible entity may submit to the Secretary an application for a grant under this section.

In this Act, the term eligible entity means a State, an Indian tribe, or a tribal organization, as such terms are defined in section 419 of the Social Security Act.

The Secretary shall establish a process for considering applications submitted pursuant to this section on a competitive basis.

The Secretary shall select applicants to receive grants under this section on the basis of—

(i) the strength of the design of the hygiene access initiative described in the application submitted by the applicant;

(ii) the capacity of the initiative to serve the population targeted by the initiative;

(iii) the extent to which the applicant will partner with basic needs banks or similar entities with demonstrated experience in collecting, warehousing, and distributing hygiene materials or basic needs items;

(iv) the readiness of the applicant to evaluate the initiative;

(v) the cost-effectiveness of the initiative;

(vi) the past performance of the applicant in carrying out the program of the applicant that is funded under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act; and

(vii) geographic diversity.

On receipt of an application submitted pursuant to this section, the Secretary shall make a copy of the application available on the website of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The Secretary shall administer this section in a way that advances the goal of expanding access to hygiene materials for a significant number of low-income households.

The Secretary shall disburse each grant awarded under this section, on the 1st day of the fiscal year for which the grant is awarded.

An entity to which a grant is made under this section may use the grant only to provide hygiene materials to low income households.

Not more than 15 percent of a grant made under this section may be used for administrative expenses.

An entity to which a grant is made under this section shall submit to the Secretary a report on the performance of the initiative carried out with the grant funds, as assessed using the following indicators:

(1) The geographic area served.

(2) The number of families served.

(3) The number of materials distributed.

(4) The frequency of distributions.

Out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated to carry out this Act—

(1) $25,000,000 for the 1st fiscal year that begins on or after the effective date of this Act;

(2) $30,000,000 for each of the 2nd and 3rd fiscal years that begin on or after the effective date; and

(3) $32,500,000 for each of the 4th and 5th fiscal years that begin on or after the effective date.

This Act shall take effect 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Before the 5th fiscal year that begins on or after the effective date of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report that contains an evaluation of the demonstration program conducted under this section, and the recommendation of the Secretary as to whether it would be feasible to implement a program of this type on a large scale.