welfare reform (now: reform;
welfare)
DPA |
Committee on Human Services |
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DPA/SE |
Committee on Appropriations |
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DPA |
Caucus and COW |
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X |
As Passed the House |
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HB2462 creates or expands a variety of supportive services
for recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The bill
allocates a total of $10,125,000 from the federal TANF block grant to the
Department of Economic Security (DES) and the Department of Education (ADE) for
these services.
Major Arizona welfare reform measures were enacted in Laws 1997, Chapter 300; Laws 1998, Chapter 208; and, Laws 1999, Chapter 328.
·
Clarifies that the Wheels to Work program shall serve
current and former TANF clients, and parents whose household income is at or
below 150 per cent of the federal poverty level. Current and former TANF clients
will have priority.
· Permits an employed former TANF recipient to apply for Short-Term Crisis Services (STCS) emergency assistance.
· Authorizes an increase in the eligibility period for transportation and post-employment education and training for TANF recipients from the present one year to two years.
· Requires state maintenance of effort (MOE) dollars to be used for TANF recipients who receive less than $100 a month, which removes them from the 60-month “time clock” of TANF eligibility.
· Provides guidelines for the use of monies provided to DES for perinatal substance abuse treatment and services.
· The Department of Health Services (DHS), DES, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), and the Governor’s Office of Community and Family Programs, who are signers of the interagency services agreement, shall determine whether an additional request for proposal or an amendment to an existing program will be required to expend the funds appropriated for this treatment and service. The Auditor General shall include a report on the expanded services and additional populations served with these funds.
· Establishes under DES an after school and summer pregnancy prevention pilot program for pupils in grades four through 10.
· DES shall offer model pregnancy prevention programs that have been scientifically evaluated and determined to be effective. The programs shall include abstinence education, character development, communication skills training, tutoring and supplemental skills.
· DES shall offer the model programs in five census tracts in Arizona that have the highest teen birth rates according to 1998 data collected by DHS.
· The model programs shall develop programs in cooperation with community-based organizations, juvenile justice agencies, religious organizations, law enforcement agencies and local youth organizations. Families and children must also be involved in planning the model programs.
· Allocates $250,000 from the TANF block grant for perinatal substance abuse treatment and services.
· Establishes a public school Marriage and Parenting Program fund administered by the Department of Education (ADE). ADE will distribute funds to school districts or charter schools whose plans to implement or continue a marriage and parenting education program have been approved by a newly-formed Marriage and Parenting Skills Commission.
· Creates a Marriage and Parenting Skills Commission consisting of seven voting members, two non-voting advisory members of the Senate, and two non-voting advisory members of the House of Representatives. Members are appointed by either the Governor, the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Commission reviews plans submitted by applicant school districts or charter schools for participation in the marriage and parenting program and selects schools eligible to receive funding. It also develops and distributes to marriage license applicants a free handbook on how to have a healthy marriage, and works with DES on a study to determine the fiscal costs of divorce in Arizona and the potential savings of a reduction in the divorce rate.
· Specifies that a public school district or charter school may apply to participate or continue in the marriage and parenting education program for any fiscal year by submitting a proposal or application by April 15. The program proposal must contain a plan for implementing or demonstrating the existence of a marriage and parenting program.
· Allocates $100,000 from the TANF block grant to DES to provide vouchers to married or cohabiting parents whose income is below 150 per cent of the federal poverty level to attend marriage skills training courses; $2,900,000 for a media campaign to promote the health and societal benefits of marriage; and, $70,000 for a study to determine the fiscal costs of divorce and how much money can be saved by reducing the divorce rate.
· Allocates $6,595,000 in FY 2000-2001 from the TANF block grant to DES as follows:
· $100,000 to provide vouchers to married or cohabiting parents whose income is below 150 per cent of the federal poverty level to attend marriage skills training courses;
· $2,900,000 for a media campaign to promote the health and societal benefits of marriage;
· $70,000 for a study to determine the fiscal costs of divorce and how much money can be saved by reducing the divorce rate;
· $75,000 to provide DES with a full-time liaison to charitable, religious and non-profit groups to explain opportunities, to provide services pursuant to Title 46 and to facilitate relations with DES.
· $3,000,000 for emergency domestic violence shelters for victims and their children and monies shall also go towards educating victims of domestic violence of the cycle of domestic violence and how the cycle affects spousal and non-spousal relationships according to data collected by the department of economic security;
· $200,000 for the Hopi tribal council to establish a TANF tribal program on the Hopi reservation;
· $250,000 for perinatal substance abuse treatment and services;
· Allocates $2,530,000 in FY 2000-2001 from the TANF block grant to ADE as follows:
· $2,400,000 for the Marriage and Parenting Program fund established by this bill. Not more than five per cent of the fund shall be used for administrative costs.
· $130,000 for the development and printing of the “How to Have a Healthy Marriage” handbook.
· Allocates $1,000,000 in FY 2000-2001 from the TANF block grant to DES for the pregnancy prevention pilot program; not more than four per cent shall be used for administrative costs.
·
Total TANF funds allocated to DES or ADE for FY
2000-2001 are $10,125,000.
HB2462 as introduced was amended in the Human Services
Committee as follows:
·
Adds emotional harm as a
basis for good cause for failure to cooperate with child support enforcement
efforts.
·
Clarifies that the
Wheels to Work program shall serve current and former TANF clients, and parents
whose household income is at or below 150 per cent of the federal poverty
level. However, current and former TANF clients will have priority.
·
Modifies the earned
income disregard to be equal to 100 per cent of a person’s income during the
first three months of full-time employment and $90 plus an additional 30 per
cent of the remaining earned income.
·
Modifies the DES FTE
position to be a liaison to charitable, religious and nonprofit groups to be
funded by a TANF block grant allocation in FY 2000-2001 of $75,000 to cover
salary, employee-related and operating expenses.
·
Allocates $5 million
from the TANF block grant in FY 2000-2001 to DES for domestic violence
shelters.
·
Makes technical changes.
Includes all provisions of HB 2462 as amended in the Human Services Committee with the following changes and additions:
·
Removes language
permitting the earned income disregard to be equal to 100 per cent of a
person’s income during the first three months of full-time employment and $90
plus an additional 30 per cent of the remaining earned income.
·
Provides guidelines for
the use of monies provided to DHS for perinatal substance abuse treatment and
services.
·
DHS, DES, the Arizona
Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), the Governor’s Office of
Community and Family Programs, who are signers of the interagency services
agreement, shall determine whether an additional request for proposal or an
amendment to an existing program will be required to expend the funds
appropriated for this treatment and service.
The Auditor General shall include a report on the expanded services and
additional populations served with these funds.
·
Establishes under DHS an
after school and summer pregnancy prevention pilot program for pupils in grades
four through 10, funded from the TANF block grant.
·
DHS shall offer model
pregnancy prevention programs that have been scientifically evaluated and
determined to be effective. The
programs shall include abstinence education, character development,
communication skills training, tutoring and supplemental skills.
·
DHS shall offer the
model programs in five census tracts in Arizona that have the highest teen
birth rates according to data collected by DHS.
·
The model programs shall
develop programs in cooperation with community-based organizations, juvenile
justice agencies, religious organizations, law enforcement agencies and local
youth organizations. Families and
children must also be involved in planning the model programs.
·
Establishes a public
school Marriage and Parenting Program fund administered by the Department of
Education (ADE). ADE will distribute
funds to school districts or charter schools whose plans to implement or
continue a marriage and parenting education program have been approved by a
newly-formed Marriage and Parenting Skills Commission.
·
Creates a Marriage and
Parenting Skills Commission consisting of seven voting members, two non-voting
advisory members of the Senate, and two non-voting advisory members of the
House of Representatives. Members are
appointed by either the Governor, the President of the Senate or the Speaker of
the House of Representatives. The
Commission reviews plans submitted by applicant school districts or charter
schools for participation in the marriage and parenting program and selects
schools eligible to receive funding. It
also develops and distributes to marriage license applicants a free handbook on
how to have a healthy marriage, and works with DES on a study to determine the
fiscal costs of divorce in Arizona and the potential savings of a reduction in
the divorce rate.
·
Specifies that a public
school district or charter school may apply to participate or continue in the
marriage and parenting education program for any fiscal year by submitting a
proposal or application by April 15.
The program proposal must contain a plan for implementing or demonstrating
the existence of a marriage and parenting program.
·
Allocates $5,520,000 in
FY 2000-2001 from the TANF block grant to DES as follows:
·
$100,000 to provide
vouchers to married or cohabiting parents whose income is below 150 per cent of
the federal poverty level to attend marriage skills training courses;
·
$2,900,000 for a media
campaign to promote the health and societal benefits of marriage;
·
$70,000 for a study to
determine the fiscal costs of divorce and how much money can be saved by reducing
the divorce rate;
·
$2,000,000 for emergency
domestic violence shelters for victims and their children and monies shall also
go towards educating victims of domestic violence of the cycle of domestic
violence and how the cycle affects spousal and non-spousal relationships
according to data collected by the department of economic security;
·
$200,000 for the Hopi
tribal council to establish a TANF tribal program on the Hopi reservation;
·
$250,000 for perinatal
substance abuse treatment and services.
·
Allocates $2,530,000 in
FY 2000-2001 from the TANF block grant to ADE as follows:
·
$2,400,000 for the
Marriage and Parenting Program fund established by this bill. Not more than five per cent of the fund
shall be used for administrative costs.
·
$130,000 for the development
and printing of the “How to Have a Healthy Marriage” handbook.
·
Allocates $1 million in
FY 2000-2001 from the TANF block grant to DHS for the pregnancy prevention
pilot program and not more than four per cent shall be used for administrative
costs.
HB2462 was amended in COW as follows:
·
Allocates $3,000,000,
rather than $2,000,000, from the TANF block grant to DES for emergency domestic
violence shelters for victims and their children.
·
Establishes the
Pregnancy Prevention Pilot Program under DES rather than DHS.
HB2462 passed the House 39-17-4-0.
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DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------
44th Legislature Analyst Initials _______
Second Regular Session March 3, 2000
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DOCUMENT FOOTER ---------