Orrin Hatch: “I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the GAO opinion letter dated September 4, 2012, and the TANF…”

“I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the GAO opinion letter dated September 4, 2012, and the TANF Information Memorandum dated July 12, 2012. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: U.S. Government Accountability Office, Washington, DC, September 4, 2012. Hon. Orrin Hatch, Ranking Member, Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate. Hon. Dave Camp, Chairman, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives. By letter of July 31, 2012, you asked whether an Information Memorandum issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on July 12, 2012 concerning the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program constitutes a rule for the purposes of the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The CRA is intended to keep Congress informed of the rulemaking activities of federal agencies and provides that before a rule can take effect, the agency must submit the rule to each House of Congress and the Comptroller General. For the reasons discussed below, we conclude that the July 12, 2012 Information Memorandum is a rule under the CRA. Therefore, it must be submitted to Congress and the Comptroller General before taking effect. BACKGROUND The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant, administered by the U.S.…”