Senate Bill sb1910
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 1910
By Senator King
8-1158B-05
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to workforce innovation;
3 amending s. 445.048, F.S.; requiring that
4 Workforce Florida, Inc., expand the Passport to
5 Economic Progress demonstration program to a
6 statewide program; authorizing Workforce
7 Florida, Inc., to designate regional workforce
8 boards to participate in the program; deleting
9 the provision relating to the disregarding of
10 income for purposes of determing eligibility
11 for cash assistance; requiring that Workforce
12 Florida, Inc., offer incentive bonuses;
13 providing requirements for the incentive
14 bonuses; providing that the bonuses are not an
15 entitlement; deleting obsolete provisions;
16 requiring Workforce Florida, Inc., to submit
17 evaluations and recommendations for the program
18 as part of its annual report to the
19 Legislature; deleting obsolete provisions;
20 providing an effective date.
21
22 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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24 Section 1. Section 445.048, Florida Statutes, as
25 amended by section 53 of chapter 2004-269, Laws of Florida, is
26 amended to read:
27 445.048 Passport to Economic Progress demonstration
28 program.--
29 (1) AUTHORIZATION.--Notwithstanding any law to the
30 contrary, Workforce Florida, Inc., in conjunction with the
31 Department of Children and Family Services and the Agency for
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1 Workforce Innovation, shall implement a Passport to Economic
2 Progress demonstration program by November 1, 2001, consistent
3 with the provisions of this section in Hillsborough and
4 Manatee counties. Workforce Florida, Inc., may designate
5 regional workforce boards to participate in the program.
6 Expenses for the program may come from appropriated revenues
7 or from funds otherwise available to a regional workforce
8 board which may be legally used for such purposes. Workforce
9 Florida, Inc., must consult with the applicable regional
10 workforce boards and the applicable local offices of the
11 Department of Children and Family Services which serve the
12 demonstration areas and must encourage community input into
13 the implementation process.
14 (2) WAIVERS.--If Workforce Florida, Inc., in
15 consultation with the Department of Children and Family
16 Services, finds that federal waivers would facilitate
17 implementation of the demonstration program, the department
18 shall immediately request such waivers, and Workforce Florida,
19 Inc., shall report to the Governor, the President of the
20 Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives if any
21 refusal of the federal government to grant such waivers
22 prevents the implementation of the demonstration program. If
23 Workforce Florida, Inc., finds that federal waivers to
24 provisions of the Food Stamp Program would facilitate
25 implementation of the demonstration program, the Department of
26 Children and Family Services shall immediately request such
27 waivers in accordance with s. 414.175.
28 (3) INCOME DISREGARD.--In order to provide an
29 additional incentive for employment, and notwithstanding the
30 amount specified in s. 414.095(12), for individuals residing
31 in the areas designated for this demonstration program, the
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 1910
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1 first $300 plus one-half of the remainder of earned income
2 shall be disregarded in determining eligibility for temporary
3 cash assistance. All other conditions and requirements of s.
4 414.095(12) shall continue to apply to such individuals.
5 (3)(4) TRANSITIONAL BENEFITS AND SERVICES.--In order
6 to assist them in making the transition to economic
7 self-sufficiency, former recipients of temporary cash
8 assistance residing within the areas designated for this
9 demonstration program shall be eligible for the following
10 benefits and services:
11 (a) Notwithstanding the time period specified in s.
12 445.030, transitional education and training support services
13 as specified in s. 445.030 for up to 4 years after the family
14 is no longer receiving temporary cash assistance;
15 (b) Notwithstanding the time period specified in s.
16 445.031, transitional transportation support services as
17 specified in s. 445.031 for up to 4 years after the family is
18 no longer receiving temporary cash assistance; and
19 (c) Notwithstanding the time period specified in s.
20 445.032, transitional child care as specified in s. 445.032
21 for up to 4 years after the family is no longer receiving
22 temporary cash assistance.
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24 All other provisions of ss. 445.030, 445.031, and 445.032
25 shall apply to such individuals, as appropriate. This
26 subsection does not constitute an entitlement to transitional
27 benefits and services. If funds are insufficient to provide
28 benefits and services under this subsection, the board of
29 directors of Workforce Florida, Inc., or its agent, may limit
30 such benefits and services or otherwise establish priorities
31 for the provisions of such benefits and services.
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1 (4)(5) INCENTIVES TO ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY WAGE
2 SUPPLEMENTATION.--
3 (a) The Legislature finds that:
4 1. There are former recipients of temporary cash
5 assistance who are working full time but whose incomes are
6 below the federal poverty level.
7 2. Having incomes below the federal poverty level
8 makes such individuals particularly vulnerable to reliance on
9 public assistance despite their best efforts to achieve or
10 maintain economic independence through employment.
11 3. It is necessary to implement a performance-based
12 program that defines economic incentives for achieving
13 specific benchmarks toward self-sufficiency while the
14 individual is working full-time supplement the wages of such
15 individuals for a limited period of time in order to assist
16 them in fulfilling the transition to economic
17 self-sufficiency.
18 (b) Workforce Florida, Inc., in cooperation with the
19 Department of Children and Family Services and the Agency for
20 Workforce Innovation, shall offer performance-based incentive
21 bonuses create a transitional wage supplementation program by
22 November 1, 2001, as a component of the Passport to Economic
23 Progress demonstration program in the areas designated for the
24 demonstration program. This wage supplementation program does
25 not constitute an entitlement to wage supplementation. The
26 bonuses do not represent a program entitlement and shall be
27 contingent on achieving specific benchmarks prescribed in the
28 self-sufficiency plan. If the funds appropriated for this
29 purpose are insufficient to provide this financial incentive
30 wage supplementation, the board of directors of Workforce
31 Florida, Inc., may reduce or suspend the bonuses in order not
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1 to exceed the appropriation or may direct the regional boards
2 to use resources otherwise given to the regional workforce to
3 pay such bonuses if such payments comply with applicable state
4 and federal laws limit wage supplementation or otherwise
5 establish priorities for wage supplementation.
6 (c) To be eligible for an incentive bonus wage
7 supplementation under this 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, until the United States Congress enacts legislation
13 reauthorizing the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
14 block grant and, after the reauthorization, means employment
15 complying with the employment requirements of the
16 reauthorization; and
17 3. Have an average family income for the 6 months
18 preceding the date of application for an incentive bonus wage
19 supplementation which is less than 200 100 percent of the
20 federal poverty level.
21 (d) Workforce Florida, Inc., shall determine the
22 schedule for the payment of wage supplementation under this
23 subsection. An individual eligible for wage supplementation
24 under this subsection may receive a payment that equals the
25 amount necessary to bring the individual's total family income
26 for the period covered by the payment to 100 percent of the
27 federal poverty level. An individual may not receive wage
28 supplementation payments for more than a total of 12 months.
29 (e) The wage supplementation program authorized by
30 this subsection shall be administered through the regional
31 workforce boards and the one-stop delivery system, under
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1 policy guidelines, criteria, and applications developed by
2 Workforce Florida, Inc., in cooperation with the Department of
3 Children and Family Services and the Agency for Workforce
4 Innovation. To the maximum extent possible, the regional
5 workforce boards shall use electronic debit card technologies
6 to provide wage supplementation payments under this program.
7 (5)(6) EVALUATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.--Workforce
8 Florida, Inc., in conjunction with the Department of Children
9 and Family Services, the Agency for Workforce Innovation, and
10 the regional workforce boards in the areas designated for this
11 demonstration program, shall conduct a comprehensive
12 evaluation of the effectiveness of the demonstration program
13 operated under this section. Evaluations and recommendations
14 for the program shall be submitted by Workforce Florida, Inc.,
15 as part of its annual report to the Legislature. By January 1,
16 2003, Workforce Florida, Inc., shall submit a report on such
17 evaluation to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
18 the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The report must
19 include recommendations as to whether the demonstration
20 program should be expanded to other service areas or statewide
21 and whether the program should be revised to enhance its
22 administration or effectiveness.
23 (6)(7) CONFLICTS.--If there is a conflict between the
24 implementation procedures described in this section and
25 federal requirements and regulations, federal requirements and
26 regulations shall control.
27 Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a
28 law.
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 1910
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2 SENATE SUMMARY
3 Requires Workforce Florida, Inc., to expand an economic
progress demonstration program statewide. Authorizes
4 Workforce Florida, Inc., to designate regional workforce
boards to participate in the program. Requires that
5 Workforce Florida, Inc., offer incentive bonuses.
Provides requirements for the incentive bonuses. (See
6 bill for details.)
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