H.R. 2979: Julia Carson Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2009

111th Congress · introduced 2009-06-19 · Social Welfare · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2009-06-19 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Department Operations, Oversight, Nutrition and Forestry. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Julia Carson Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2009

Plain summary

Julia Carson Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2009 - Amends part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act to condition continued approval of a state plan upon state assessment of its policies with respect to barriers to employment and financial support of children. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to states for an employment demonstration project involving a court- or state child support agency supervised-employment program for noncustodial parents who have barriers to employment and a history of nonpayment, so that they can pay their child support obligations. Directs the Secretary of Labor to award grants for transitional jobs programs and for public-private career pathways partnerships. Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA) with respect to: (1) funding for responsible fatherhood programs; (2) activities promoting responsible fatherhood; and (3) elimination of a separate TANF work participation rate for two-parent families. Prohibits a state from conditioning receipt of TANF or certain other benefits on: (1) participation in a healthy marriage or responsible fatherhood program; or (2) assignment to the state of certain support rights. Amends SSA title IV part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) to prohibit a state from collecting any amount owed it by reason of costs it has incurred for the birth of a child for whom support rights have been assigned. Requires a state to make a full distribution of collected child support to the family. Amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 with respect to: (1) deductions from family income for child support received in order to qualify for food stamps; (2) verification of child support payments; and (3) inclusion of economic opportunities programs in qualifying work programs. Amends SSA title IV part A with respect to: (1) grants to healthy family partnerships for domestic violence intervention and prevention; and (2) grant recipients and their procedures for responding to the risks of domestic violence. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the credit percentage under the earned income tax credit for eligible individuals with no qualifying children; and (2) require information pertaining to the customer's adjusted basis in broker's returns in the case of securities transactions. Amends the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 with respect to the effective date of its leasing provisions. Amends the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the economic substance doctrine.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Julia Carson Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2009

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] · 39 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), Al Green (D-TX), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), André Carson (D-IN), Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7] reported raising $100,598 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111hr2979.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/hr>

Record fed-us-cong111-hr2979 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111