Welfare Reform bill

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on September 30, 2003. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Title I: Family Assistance Provisions - (Sec. 101) Extends through March 31, 2004, the TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) program under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSA), and related provisions, including those providing for abstinence education and for extending eligibility for medical assistance under Medicaid (SSA title XIX) for six months for former TANF recipients, which were originally set to expire on September 30, 2002.

(Sec. 102) Provides for a similar extension with respect to the national random sample study of child welfare under SSA title IV part B (Child and Family Services).

Title II: Tax Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the extension through December 31, 2004, of the authority for : (1) disclosure of tax return information to carry out income contingent repayment of student loans; and (2) Internal Revenue Service user fees.

Title III: Trade Provisions - Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to provide for an extension though March 31, 2004, of the authority for fees for certain customs services.

Title IV: Medicare Cost-Sharing Provisions - (Sec. 401) Amends SSA title XIX to provide for the extension through March 31, 2004, of Medicare cost-sharing for certain low-income individuals.

(Sec. 402) Amends the Miscellaneous Appropriations Act, 2003 to extend from September 30, 2003, through March 31, 2004, the requirement that rural standardized payment amounts under the Medicare Inpatient Hospital Prospective Payment System be increased to an amount equal to the standardized amount otherwise applicable for hospitals in a large urban area.