ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
welfare reform
(NOW: reform; welfare)
Appropriates approximately
$8.6 million in federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds in
FY 2000-2001 to the Department of Economic Security (DES) and the Department of
Education (ADE) for ten unrelated programs.
Establishes a new fund for ADE to distribute TANF monies to public
schools for marriage and parenting classes with oversight by a legislative
commission. Creates a new pregnancy
prevention program for children in grades four through ten, administered by
Northern Arizona University but DES is funded for it. Requires DES to fund DHS for perinatal substance abuse treatment
and services. Expands TANF eligibility
in five continuing programs.
The
TANF program created by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity
Reconciliation Act of 1996 provides flexible resources for a variety of
activities within the four TANF goals to:
(1) provide assistance to needy families; (2) end dependence of needy
parents by promoting job preparation, work and marriage; (3) prevent and reduce
out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) encourage the formation and maintenance of
two-parent families.
Current
TANF programs include cash assistance, emergency assistance for children in
foster care, short term crisis services, job training, child care,
transportation, employment services, life skills training, wheels to work, charitable
tax credit promotion, vocational education, young fathers mentoring, domestic
violence supportive services, character education, parenting classes,
transitional education, employment transition, teen pregnancy prevention, rural
business technical assistance, homeless youth intervention services, nurse home
visitation, literacy classes and tribal activities.
The
proposed legislation creates a Marriage and Parenting Skills Commission
(Commission) to select public schools that are eligible to receive funding for
marriage and parenting programs based on specified plan proposals. ADE distributes the funds to public schools
and may retain up to five percent for administrative costs.
The bill requires the
Arizona K-12 Center of the Center for Excellence in Education at Northern
Arizona University to establish an after school and summer pregnancy prevention
pilot grant program (Program) for children in the fourth through tenth grades,
establish application procedures and selection criteria, and provide grants to
organizations in areas with high teen birth rates. The bill requires programs to include abstinence education,
character development, communications skills training and at least 3 of 11
possible topics listed. It also
requires that programs be developed in cooperation with 5 types of
organizations, involve families and children in the planning phase and
coordinate with local schools to ensure that programs compliment and reinforce
the regular school day, ensure adequate staff training and resources, and
ensure coordination of facilities and resources. Each program is required to have one adult participant with every
ten child participants.
The proposed legislation
supplements current funding for the integrated perinatal substance abuse treatment
and services program established in 1998.
TANF funds are appropriated to DES for DHS services listed in the
bill. It states that TANF funds may not
be used for medical services or to supplant monies available from other fund
sources. The interagency agreement
between DHS, DES, AHCCCS and the Governor’s Office, contracts, the TANF state
plan and the Auditor General evaluation reports will be amended as needed to
provide these services.
Continuing TANF programs are
expanded by the proposed legislation.
Former TANF recipients and low income parents gain access to the Wheels
to Work program and two years of transportation and post-employment
education. Parents may be exempt from
child support collection efforts if emotional harm may result from cooperation.
Cash assistance payments of $100 per month or less are paid out of state-only
funds and exempt from inclusion in determining lifetime caps. Finally, persons sanctioned by TANF are
eligible for short term crisis services.
The
bill appropriates federal TANF funds in excess of $6 million to DES and $2.5
million to ADE for FY 2000-2001 for ten purposes specified in the bill.
1. Appropriates $6.095 million from TANF funds in FY 2000-2001 to DES as follows:
·
$2
million for domestic violence shelters
·
$1.9
million for a media campaign to promote marriage
·
$100,000
for marriage skills training vouchers
·
$70,000
for a contracted study on divorce
·
$1
million for a new after school and summer pregnancy prevention grants pilot
program
·
$75,000
for an FTE liaison to charitable, religious and nonprofit groups
·
$200,000
for the Hopi Tribe to establish a tribal TANF program
·
$250,000
for the DHS perinatal substance abuse treatment and services program
·
$500,000
for the division of social services of the Navajo Nation to establish an after
school, summer school and counseling programs.
2.
Appropriates
$2.53 million from TANF funds in FY 2000-2001 to ADE as follows:
·
$2.4
million for a new public school marriage and parenting program
·
$130,000
for a marriage handbook
3.
Exempts
the appropriations from lapsing for the domestic violence shelters, the Hopi
tribal TANF program and the perinatal substance abuse treatment and services.
4.
Establishes
a Commission, staffed by ADE, to:
·
Review,
select and renew applications from public schools for marriage and parenting
programs
·
Develop
and distribute free of charge a marriage handbook with specified contents
·
Evaluate
the program and report annually by November 1 to the Governor, Legislature and
Joint Legislative Audit Committee
·
Assist
DES with the contracted divorce study
·
Establish
criteria for parents who apply for a marriage skills voucher
5.
Specifies
Commission membership of:
·
Four
legislators, two from each body equally representing both parties
·
Governor
or Governor’s designee
·
Superintendent
of Public Instruction or designee
·
A
public school administrator
·
A
family law attorney
·
A
parent who has been married at least 20 years
·
A
representative of the news media
·
An
expert in marriage and family education and counseling who is also licensed to
practice medicine or psychology and who specializes in marriage counseling in
Arizona
6.
Establishes
a public school marriage and parenting program fund administered by the ADE, of
which no more than five percent is allocated for administrative costs.
7.
Establishes
a public school marriage and parenting program through July 1, 2010 to
distribute monies to local school districts and charter schools with plans
approved by the Commission within the following parameters:
·
Emphasizes
relationship skills, communications and negotiation skills.
·
Includes
discussions of family law, domestic violence, marriage license options and
covenant marriage options.
·
Prohibits
discussion or encouragement of unlawful behavior.
8.
Requires
DES to cooperate with the Commission under its statutory powers and duties.
9.
Requires
the Arizona K-12 Center of the Center for Excellence in Education at Northern
Arizona University to establish an After School and Summer Pregnancy Prevention
Pilot Grant Program through July 1, 2009 for children in grades 4 through 10.
10. Requires the Arizona K-12 Center to provide grants to organizations that provide services in prescribed census tracts with high teen birth rates. Requires program curriculum to include:
·
Abstinence
education
·
Character
development
·
Communications
skills training
·
At
least three of the following topics – tutoring, mentoring, homework assistance,
youth leadership, volunteer and community service, arts and culture
appreciation, recreation and athletic activities, computer instruction,
employment preparation and job skills, and language instruction
11.
Requires
organizations developing these programs to:
·
Cooperate
with community-based organizations, juvenile justice agencies, religious
organizations, law enforcement and local youth organizations
·
Involve
families and children
·
Coordinate
with local schools to ensure that the program reinforces and compliments the
regular school day, that staff have adequate training and resources and to
ensure coordination of facilities and resources
·
Have
a ratio of adult and child participants of 1:10 for each program, not to exceed
30 children
12.
Requires
DES to fund DHS for perinatal substance abuse treatment and services.
13.
Prohibits
TANF funds being expended for medical treatment or if another fund source is
available.
14.
Requires
DES to amend the TANF state plan as necessary.
15.
Requires
DES, DHS, AHCCCS and the Governor’s Office of Community and Family Programs to
execute additional requests for proposals, amendments and interagency
agreements as necessary.
16.
Expands
the Auditor General evaluation report requirements.
17.
Contains
an intent clause.
18.
Expands
Wheels to Work eligibility from current TANF recipients only to parents with
income at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level and TANF
recipients, current or former within two years. TANF current and former recipients retain priority.
19.
Expands
short-term crisis services eligibility to individuals currently being
sanctioned by TANF.
20.
Requires
DES to provide transportation and post-employment education and training for
two years to TANF-eligible individuals.
21.
Requires
DES to use the state general fund maintenance-of-effort (MOE) monies instead of
federal TANF monies for cash assistance payments of less than $100 per month
and exempts these payments from inclusion in determining the lifetime cap for
TANF cash assistance.
22.
Expands
good cause for not cooperating with child support enforcement efforts from
physical harm as a possible result to either physical or emotional harm as a
possible result of cooperation.
23.
Repeals
a duplicative section of law caused by two bills with conflicting language for
the same section being passed during the same legislative session.
24.
Contains
technical and conforming changes.
25.
Provides
for a general effective date.
1.
Decreases
the overall TANF appropriation to DES by $1.5 million in FY 2000-2001.
2.
Appropriates
$500,000 to the Navajo Nation, through DES, to establish after school, summer
school and counseling programs.
3.
Decreases
appropriations for a marriage media campaign by $1 million and for domestic
violence shelters by $1 million.
4.
Changes
the administration and funding of the After School and Summer Pregnancy
Prevention Pilot Grant Program from DES to the Arizona K-12 Center at Northern
Arizona University.
5.
Adds
a delayed repeal date of December 31, 2000, to the section relating to
interagency services agreements.
6.
Makes
clarifying and technical changes.
House Action Senate
Action
HS 1/27/00 DPA 5-0-0-1 FS 3/8/00 DPA 7-0-0
APPROP 2/15/00 DPA 11-0-2
3rd Read 2/29/00 39-17-4
Prepared by Senate Staff
March 13, 2000