The office of Legislative Affairs and Budget (OLAB) advises the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families on all policy and programmatic matters, serving as the primary contact for the Department of Health and Human Services, the Executive Branch, and the Congress on all legislative, budget development and execution and regulatory activities.
Our office includes a Division of Budget and a Division of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs.
Division of Budget
- Prepares all major ACF budget documents
- Coordinates the execution of the entire ACF budget
- Forecasts budget authority needs, expenditures and outlays for mandatory spending and discretionary spending programs such as TANF, Foster Care and Adoption Assistance, Child Care Development Fund, Child Support Enforcement, Head Start and LIHEAP
- Works closely with program staff to integrate performance goals and measures into the budget process
Visit our Budget Information webpage for the most recent ACF budget requests, Congressional Justifications and historical ACF budgets.
Division of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs
- Coordinates the development of legislative proposals, including reauthorization of program funding
- Monitors legislative activity related to ACF programs
- Responds to Congressional requests, such as requests for technical assistance on legislation
- Prepares agency witnesses for Congressional hearings
- Monitors fulfillment of the ACF’s regulatory and congressional reporting commitments
- Manages all Government Accountability Office (GAO) activity within ACF
- Facilitates OIG engagements relating to the management of ACF programs, to include, but not be limited to:
- audits to determine whether an ACF program office met its statutory requirements and complied with internal policies and procedures
- evaluations of an ACF program for efficiency and effectiveness
- evaluations of both ACF management and selected grantees' management of their grants
Visit our Legislative Affairs webpage for reports to Congress, testimony, and authorization expiration dates.
Visit our Regulations webpage for a list of ACF's published regulations and regulatory resources.