HB 552 -- Public Assistance

Co-Sponsors:  Kasten, Kelley and Scott

This bill makes a number of changes in public assistance laws.
In its main provisions it:

(1) Limits the receipt of Aid to Families with Dependent
Children (AFDC), including AFDC for unemployed parents, to 24
months;

(2) Changes the priority group for participation in the JOBS
program from volunteers to married parents of children receiving
AFDC (volunteers are outlined as the second priority);

(3) Disallows the incremental increase in the cash grant for the
birth of a child;

(4) Requires persons receiving medical assistance who use the
emergency room of a hospital for nonemergency treatment to make
a $10 copayment to the hospital at the time of treatment;
penalty and appeal provisions are outlined;

(5) Denies public assistance benefits to anyone who has pled
guilty to or been convicted of a drug law violation unless
enrollment in an approved drug rehabilitation and parenting
program is verified;

(6) Reduces the cash grant by 5% for persons not enrolled in job
training or an education or community service program within six
months of qualifying for AFDC; and reduces the cash grant by an
additional 10% if not enrolled in one of these programs within
12 months of qualifying for AFDC; exemptions are outlined;

(7) Pending federal approval, requires AFDC payees to provide
child care for the dependents of other AFDC payees in exchange
for AFDC benefits, as a community service option;

(8) Establishes a LEARNFARE program whereby pregnant and
parenting teenagers receiving assistance and who have less than
a high school education are required to attend school; a bonus
of $50 per month is paid for teens who attend school at least
90% of the time; cash benefits are reduced by $50 for each month
these teens fail to attend school at least 75% of the time;
exempted groups and good cause exceptions are outlined;

(9) Allows for petitions to the circuit court for suspension or
revocation of professional licenses of those who are in arrears
on child support by more than $5,000;

(10) Requires the Department of Social Services to terminate
Medicaid benefits immediately when recipients are found to be
ineligible, rather than terminating benefits at the end of the
calendar month;

(11) Requires the State Board of Education to establish rules
for implementing the extended day child care program; current
law permits the board to establish rules;

(12) Establishes the "People Attaining Self-Sufficiency Act"
which includes the following provisions:

(a) Creates a Public Assistance Reorganization Task Force to
explore more efficient ways to implement the programs of the
Division of Family Services (DFS);

(b) Creates a County Welfare Commission and a Self-Sufficiency
Development Fund in each county implementing the self--
sufficiency program; the commission is to establish policy for
the type, scope and extent of services for clients; the fund is
comprised of federal block grants, public assistance moneys, and
private contributions;

(c) Requires DFS to assess AFDC applicants and recipients for
possible referral to the county welfare commission for
transition from welfare to work;

(d) Allows the county commissions to require community service
participation as a condition of eligibility for support
services; exceptions are provided;

(e) Requires the Department of Social Services to provide the
staff to implement the self-sufficiency act provisions;

(f) Requires the county welfare commissions to develop an
information clearinghouse about the private and public resources
available for attaining self-sufficiency;

(g) Requires the Department of Social Services to determine if
the education and training components within the JOBS program
have increased or decreased AFDC applications; and

(h) Upon federal approval, requires DFS to provide cash benefits
in lieu of food stamps to public assistance recipients.