Julia Carson Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2015

Julia Carson Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act of 2015

Conditions continued approval of a state plan under part D (Child Support and Establishment of Paternity) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct) upon state assessment of its policies with respect to barriers to employment and financial support of children.

Directs the Department 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.

Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of SSAct title IV with respect to: (1) funding for responsible fatherhood programs, (2) activities promoting responsible fatherhood, (3) elimination of a separate TANF work participation rate for two-parent families, (4) elimination of the requirement that two-parent family recipients participate in certain work activities not fewer than a specified number of hours per week more than 20, (5) elimination of the cap on treating vocational educational training as work participation, and (6) an increase in months of educational vocational training that may be counted as work participation.

Prohibits a state from conditioning receipt of TANF or certain other benefits on participation in a healthy marriage or responsible fatherhood program.

Amends SSAct 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 under SSAct title XIX (Medicaid) 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 SSAct title IV part A (TANF) 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.

Establishes in the Treasury the Employment Fund for Needy Families.

Expresses the sense of Congress that a state to which a TANF grant is made should consider a noncustodial parent of a minor child, if the child receives assistance under a state TANF program, to be a member of the child's family for purposes of providing assistance to the family, the child, and the noncustodial parent under the program.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the earned income tax credit percentage for eligible individuals with no qualifying children.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov