The bill presents the Fiscal Year 2024 Report on Standard Budgets of Assistance for the Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) program, which provides essential financial support and employment programming for families with children and pregnant women facing low or no income. It mandates an assessment of TAFDC grant levels against standard budgets and the consumer price index, confirming that benefit and eligibility levels will remain unchanged for FY24. The report emphasizes the use of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) as a benchmark for evaluating benefit adequacy and outlines various benefits available to TAFDC families, including allowances for rent, clothing, and child support disregard payments. It also notes that approximately 14% of TAFDC families received an earned income disregard in FY23, allowing them to retain some earnings while receiving benefits.

Furthermore, the bill introduces the "DTA Pathways to Work Program," aimed at providing families with customized career pathways and enhanced access to training, education, and job readiness activities to help them overcome employment barriers. It updates financial figures for TAFDC grants and allowances, with the TAFDC grant set at $6,576 for FY24 and total benefits for a family of three projected to reach $38,621, which is 150% of the Federal Poverty Guideline. The bill acknowledges the ongoing challenges of inflation impacting TAFDC grants while reaffirming the program's critical role in supporting low-income families alongside other public benefits like SNAP and MassHealth.