HB 1787 -- Guard at Home Program

Sponsor:  Jackson

This bill establishes the Guard at Home Program which will serve
100 families living in southeast and southwest Missouri or the
St. Louis metropolitan area.  The purpose of the program is to
assist the spouse of an active-duty National Guard or reservist
by addressing his or her immediate needs and employment in order
to keep the family from falling into poverty while the primary
income earner is on active duty and to help returning troops find
work in situations where an individual needs to rebuild business
clientele or where an individual's job was eliminated while on
deployment.

The Department of Economic Development is required to hire a
contractor to administer the program.  The Division of Job
Development and Training will ensure that the contractor meets
certain qualifications specified in the bill.  The division will
develop the criteria of the contract based on the following:

(1)  Eligible program participants will be families where:

(a)  The primary income earner was called to active duty in
defense of the United States for more than four months;

(b)  The primary income is no longer available;

(c)  The family is experiencing a significant hardship due to
financial burdens; and

(d)  The family has no outside resources available to assist with
these hardships; and

(2)  Services may be provided to families in order to alleviate
an immediate crisis and to provide economic stability while the
primary income is not available due to the active military
commitment.  The bill specifies some of the services which may be
provided.

The department will report to the President Pro Tem of the Senate
and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the operation
and progress of the program by January 1, 2007.

The bill becomes effective on July 1, 2006, and the division must
make every effort to ensure that participating families are being
served by August 1, 2006.

The bill contains an emergency clause.

Missouri House of Representatives
93rd General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated November 29, 2006 at 9:44 am