House Bill hb1431e1

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                                          HB 1431, First Engrossed



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to welfare transition;

  3         providing a short title; providing legislative

  4         intent; authorizing the Passport to Economic

  5         Progress demonstration program in specified

  6         areas; requiring the Department of Children and

  7         Family Services to pursue federal government

  8         waivers as necessary; increasing the amount of

  9         income that may be disregarded in determining

10         eligibility for temporary cash assistance for

11         families residing in the demonstration areas;

12         authorizing an extended period of time for the

13         receipt of welfare-transition benefits by

14         families residing in the demonstration areas;

15         providing legislative findings; directing

16         Workforce Florida, Inc., to create a

17         transitional wage supplementation program;

18         authorizing wage supplementation payments to

19         certain individuals; requiring an evaluation

20         and reports on the demonstration program;

21         providing for conflicts of laws; providing

22         appropriations; providing an effective date.

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24         WHEREAS, the state has achieved dramatic success in

25  reforms to the welfare system, with more than 200,000 families

26  leaving the welfare rolls since such reforms were enacted in

27  1996, and

28         WHEREAS, the majority of those who have left the

29  welfare rolls have done so because of employment and have held

30  no more than two different jobs since leaving welfare, and

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                                          HB 1431, First Engrossed



  1         WHEREAS, however, many of those who have left the

  2  welfare rolls are generating incomes below the federal poverty

  3  level, leaving them vulnerable to falling back into the

  4  welfare system, and

  5         WHEREAS, there also are families that remain within the

  6  welfare system who are at risk of exhausting their eligibility

  7  for assistance and who would benefit from greater incentives

  8  to increase their earnings, and

  9         WHEREAS, a strategy that encourages employment,

10  training, and education represents the best approach for

11  increasing family incomes and promoting economic

12  self-sufficiency, and

13         WHEREAS, the Workforce Innovation Act of 2000

14  restructured the state's workforce system to provide

15  individuals with enhanced opportunities to develop skills to

16  secure, maintain, and advance in employment through training

17  and education, and

18         WHEREAS, the expansion of incentives for employment,

19  the extension of transitional support services, and the

20  provision of wage supplements will further enhance the ability

21  of families who are participants in the welfare system or who

22  are leaving the welfare system to raise their incomes and

23  achieve economic progress, NOW, THEREFORE,

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25  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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27         Section 1.  Short title.--This act may be cited as the

28  "Passport to Economic Progress Act."

29         Section 2.  Legislative intent.--The purpose of the

30  Passport to Economic Progress Act is to provide incentives and

31  services designed to assist individuals who are recipients of


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                                          HB 1431, First Engrossed



  1  temporary cash assistance or who are former recipients of

  2  temporary cash assistance generate family income levels that

  3  help foster the achievement and maintenance of economic

  4  self-sufficiency. It is the intent of the Legislature to

  5  create through this act a demonstration program for the

  6  provision of such incentives and services, with the goal of

  7  developing a model for the continued evolution and enhancement

  8  of the welfare-reform efforts of the state. 

  9         Section 3.  Passport to Economic Progress demonstration

10  program.--

11         (1)  AUTHORIZATION.--Notwithstanding any law to the

12  contrary, Workforce Florida, Inc., in conjunction with the

13  Department of Children and Family Services and the Agency for

14  Workforce Innovation, shall implement a Passport to Economic

15  Progress demonstration program by November 1, 2001, consistent

16  with the provisions of this section in Hillsborough and

17  Manatee counties. Workforce Florida, Inc., must consult with

18  the applicable regional workforce boards and the applicable

19  local offices of the department which serve the demonstration

20  areas and must encourage community input into the

21  implementation process.

22         (2)  WAIVERS.--If Workforce Florida, Inc., in

23  consultation with the Department of Children and Family

24  Services, finds that federal waivers would facilitate

25  implementation of the demonstration program, the department

26  shall immediately request such waivers, and Workforce Florida,

27  Inc., shall report to the Governor, the President of the

28  Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives if any

29  refusal of the Federal Government to grant such waivers

30  prevents the implementation of the demonstration program. If

31  Workforce Florida, Inc., finds that federal waivers to


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                                          HB 1431, First Engrossed



  1  provisions of the Food Stamp Program would facilitate

  2  implementation of the demonstration program, the Department of

  3  Children and Family Services shall immediately request such

  4  waivers in accordance with section 414.175, Florida Statutes.

  5         (3)  INCOME DISREGARD.--In order to provide an

  6  additional incentive for employment, and notwithstanding the

  7  amount specified in section 414.095(12), Florida Statutes, for

  8  individuals residing in the areas designated for this

  9  demonstration program, the first $300 plus one-half of the

10  remainder of earned income shall be disregarded in determining

11  eligibility for temporary cash assistance. All other

12  conditions and requirements of section 414.095(12), Florida

13  Statutes, shall continue to apply to such individuals.

14         (4)  TRANSITIONAL BENEFITS AND SERVICES.--In order to

15  assist them in making the transition to economic

16  self-sufficiency, former recipients of temporary cash

17  assistance residing within the areas designated for this

18  demonstration program shall be eligible for the following

19  benefits and services:

20         (a)  Notwithstanding the time period specified in

21  section 445.030, Florida Statutes, transitional education and

22  training support services as specified in section 445.030,

23  Florida Statutes, for up to 4 years after the family is no

24  longer receiving temporary cash assistance;

25         (b)  Notwithstanding the time period specified in

26  section 445.031, Florida Statutes, transitional transportation

27  support services as specified in section 445.031, Florida

28  Statutes, for up to 4 years after the family is no longer

29  receiving temporary cash assistance; and

30         (c)  Notwithstanding the time period specified in

31  section 445.032, Florida Statutes, transitional child care as


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                                          HB 1431, First Engrossed



  1  specified in section 445.032, Florida Statutes, for up to 4

  2  years after the family is no longer receiving temporary cash

  3  assistance.

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  5  All other provisions of sections 445.030, 445.031, and

  6  445.032, Florida Statutes, shall apply to such individuals, as

  7  appropriate. This subsection does not constitute an

  8  entitlement to transitional benefits and services. If funds

  9  are insufficient to provide benefits and services under this

10  subsection, the board of directors of Workforce Florida, Inc.,

11  may limit such benefits and services or otherwise establish

12  priorities for the provisions of such benefits and services.

13         (5)  WAGE SUPPLEMENTATION.--

14         (a)  The Legislature finds that:

15         1.  There are former recipients of temporary cash

16  assistance who are working full time but whose incomes are

17  below the federal poverty level.

18         2.  Having incomes below the federal poverty level

19  makes such individuals particularly vulnerable to reliance on

20  public assistance despite their best efforts to achieve or

21  maintain economic independence through employment.

22         3.  It is necessary to supplement the wages of such

23  individuals for a limited period of time in order to assist

24  them in fulfilling the transition to economic

25  self-sufficiency.

26         (b)  Workforce Florida, Inc., in cooperation with the

27  Department of Children and Family Services and the Agency for

28  Workforce Innovation, shall create a transitional wage

29  supplementation program by November 1, 2001, as a component of

30  the Passport to Economic Progress demonstration program in the

31  areas designated for the demonstration program. This wage


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                                          HB 1431, First Engrossed



  1  supplementation program does not constitute an entitlement to

  2  wage supplementation. If funds appropriated are insufficient

  3  to provide wage supplementation, the board of directors of

  4  Workforce Florida, Inc., may limit wage supplementation or

  5  otherwise establish priorities for wage supplementation.

  6         (c)  To be eligible for wage supplementation under this

  7  subsection, an individual must:

  8         1.  Be a former recipient of temporary cash assistance

  9  who last received such assistance on or after January 1, 2000;

10         2.  Be employed full time, which for the purposes of

11  this subsection means employment averaging at least 32 hours

12  per week; and

13         3.  Have an average family income for the 6 months

14  preceding the date of application for wage supplementation

15  which is less than 100 percent of the federal poverty level.

16         (d)  Workforce Florida, Inc., shall determine the

17  schedule for the payment of wage supplementation under this

18  subsection. An individual eligible for wage supplementation

19  under this subsection may receive a payment that equals the

20  amount necessary to bring the individual's total family income

21  for the period covered by the payment to 100 percent of the

22  federal poverty level. An individual may not receive wage

23  supplementation payments for more than a total of 12 months.

24         (e)  The wage supplementation program authorized by

25  this subsection shall be administered through the regional

26  workforce boards and the one-stop delivery system, under

27  policy guidelines, criteria, and applications developed by

28  Workforce Florida, Inc., in cooperation with the Department of

29  Children and Family Services and the Agency for Workforce

30  Innovation. To the maximum extent possible, the regional

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                                          HB 1431, First Engrossed



  1  workforce boards shall use electronic debit card technologies

  2  to provide wage supplementation payments under this program.

  3         (6)  EVALUATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.--Workforce

  4  Florida, Inc., in conjunction with the Department of Children

  5  and Family Services, the Agency for Workforce Innovation, and

  6  the regional workforce boards in the areas designated for this

  7  demonstration program, shall conduct a comprehensive

  8  evaluation of the effectiveness of the demonstration program

  9  operated under this section. By January 1, 2003, Workforce

10  Florida, Inc., shall submit a report on such evaluation to the

11  Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the

12  House of Representatives. The report must include

13  recommendations as to whether the demonstration program should

14  be expanded to other service areas or statewide and whether

15  the program should be revised to enhance its administration or

16  effectiveness.

17         (7)  CONFLICTS.--If there is a conflict between the

18  implementation procedures described in this section and

19  federal requirements and regulations, federal requirements and

20  regulations shall control.

21         Section 4.  There is appropriated from the Federal

22  Grants Trust Fund to the Department of Children and Family

23  Services $310,000 to provide funds for 9 months to implement

24  the additional income disregard for fiscal year 2001-2002.

25  There is appropriated from the Employment Security

26  Administration Trust Fund to the Agency for Workforce

27  Innovation $3,222,500 to provide funds for 9 months to extend

28  transitional benefits and services and to implement the wage

29  supplementation program for fiscal year 2001-2002. The source

30  of these funds is the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

31  block grant.


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                                          HB 1431, First Engrossed



  1         Section 5.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.

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