President Signs Payroll Tax Agreement, Includes Extension for TANF, UI, QI, TMA

Last week, the House and Senate reached agreement on the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (H.R. 3630) to further extend the payroll tax cut and other programs through the end of the year.  The president signed the bill on February 22, 2012. Specifically, the law extends unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and related programs, and Qualified Individual (QI) and Transitional Medical Assistance (TMA). Unlike the previous two-month extension (P.L. 112-78, Issue Brief 11-45), the agreement modifies UI and TANF, and is paid for, in part, by changes to health programs and the sale of radio spectrum.