# 119-hr-2359: Improve Transparency and Stability for Families and Children Act

119-hr-2359, Improve Transparency and Stability for Families and Children Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Carey, Mike [R-OH-15] (R-OH); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2359
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-2359
- Congress: 119
- Title: Improve Transparency and Stability for Families and Children Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-03-26
- Sponsor: Rep. Carey, Mike [R-OH-15] (R-OH)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Social Welfare
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Shorter deadlines for states to obligate and spend TANF funds, plus a limited reserve cap.** The bill would require states to move new Temporary Assistance for Needy Families grants faster and set rules for how much they can hold for future use. - States would have to obligate new TANF grants by the end of the following fiscal year and spend them within two years after that. This timing rule applies to funds paid after Oct. 1, 2026. - States could reserve up to 15% of funds for future TANF use, but total reserves could not exceed 50% of the amount the state received in the prior fiscal year. States must notify the Secretary of the intent to reserve by the obligating deadline. - Families and local programs could see money spent sooner or redirected because of faster spending rules and reserve limits. That could change the timing or continuity of services at the state level.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Miller, Max L. [R-OH-7] (R-OH), 2025-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kelly, Mike [R-PA-16] (R-PA), 2026-05-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Faster use of TANF funds for families: benefit, low. If enacted, states would face deadlines for using cash assistance (TANF) dollars. They would have to obligate each year’s funds by the end of the next fiscal year. They would have to spend those funds by the end of the second succeeding fiscal year. A state could reserve up to 15% of a year’s funds…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act
- 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act
- 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025
- 119-hr-833: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-2359 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/2359)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237)
- [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725)
- [119-hr-833: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-833)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2359 (as of 2026-09-21).