Text: SSB00200 - SSB00299 Text: SSB Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. WELFARE REFORM. 1 2 1. The department of human services shall submit a waiver 1 3 request or requests to the United States department of health 1 4 and human services as necessary to implement the changes in 1 5 the family investment program under chapter 239 and the job 1 6 opportunities and basic skills program under chapter 249C, as 1 7 provided by this section. In addition, the department may 1 8 submit additional waiver requests to the United States 1 9 department of agriculture to make changes in the federal food 1 10 stamp program and to the United States department of health 1 11 and human services to make changes to the medical assistance 1 12 program under chapter 249A, as necessary to revise these 1 13 programs in accordance with any waiver provision implemented 1 14 pursuant to this section. 1 15 2. For the purposes of this section unless the context 1 16 otherwise requires: 1 17 a. "Applicant" means an individual who has applied to be a 1 18 recipient of public assistance. 1 19 b. "Minor parent" means an applicant or recipient parent 1 20 who is less than eighteen years of age and has never been 1 21 married. 1 22 c. "Public assistance" means the family investment program 1 23 under chapter 239 and job opportunities and basic skills or 1 24 JOBS program under chapter 249C. 1 25 d. "Recipient" means the same as provided in chapter 239 1 26 and includes individuals whose income is considered by the 1 27 department. 1 28 3. The department of human services shall apply for 1 29 federal waivers to implement the following provisions for 1 30 applicants for and recipients of public assistance: 1 31 a. To promote responsibility and strengthen family values, 1 32 the department shall require the following of minor parents, 1 33 and recipient parents who are 19 years of age or less, as 1 34 indicated: 1 35 (1) Unless any of the following conditions apply, a minor 2 1 parent shall be required to live with their parent or legal 2 2 guardian: 2 3 (a) The parent or guardian of the minor parent is 2 4 deceased, missing, or living in another state. 2 5 (b) The minor parent's health or safety would be 2 6 jeopardized if the minor parent is required to live with the 2 7 parent or guardian. 2 8 (c) The minor parent is in foster care. 2 9 (d) The minor parent is participating in the job corps 2 10 solo parent program or independent living program. 2 11 (e) Other good cause exists which is identified in rules 2 12 adopted by the department for this purpose for the minor 2 13 parent to receive public assistance while living apart from 2 14 the minor parent's parent or guardian. 2 15 (2) A minor parent who is a recipient and is not required 2 16 to live with the minor parent's parent or guardian pursuant to 2 17 subparagraph (1) shall be required to participate in a family 2 18 development program identified in rules adopted by the 2 19 department. 2 20 (3) Minor parents who are recipients and recipient parents 2 21 who are 19 years of age or less shall be required to attend 2 22 parenting classes. 2 23 b. To focus on the educational needs of minor parents, the 2 24 department shall require, subject to the availability of child 2 25 day care for a minor parent's children, that a minor parent 2 26 must either have graduated from high school or have received a 2 27 high school equivalency diploma, or be engaged full-time in 2 28 completing high school graduation or equivalency requirements. 2 29 c. To encourage the development of a strong work ethic, in 2 30 calculating public assistance eligibility and the amount of 2 31 assistance, the department shall disregard earnings of an 2 32 applicant or a recipient who is 19 years of age or younger who 2 33 is engaged full-time in completing high school graduation or 2 34 equivalency requirements. 2 35 d. To strengthen measures addressing welfare fraud, the 3 1 department shall strengthen sanctions to disqualify recipients 3 2 who commit fraud relating to public assistance. In 3 3 establishing sanctions pursuant to this paragraph, the 3 4 department shall establish the same or similar penalties for 3 5 the family investment program and for the food stamp program. 3 6 e. To make expectations of recipients consistent with 3 7 practices in the private sector, contingent upon the 3 8 availability of funding to provide child day care for the 3 9 children of recipients who would not be exempt, the department 3 10 shall revise the JOBS program exemption for recipient parents 3 11 with young children to be limited to parents with children who 3 12 are less than three months of age. 3 13 f. To remove incentives for parent and caretaker relative 3 14 applicants who received public assistance in another state and 3 15 move to Iowa to seek public assistance, the department shall 3 16 limit public assistance payment amounts to the lesser of 3 17 Iowa's standard of payment or the standard of payment of the 3 18 person's previous state of residence. If such an applicant 3 19 received aid to families with dependent children in another 3 20 state within one year of applying for public assistance in 3 21 this state, the requirements of this paragraph shall apply. 3 22 The department shall determine the applicant's eligibility for 3 23 public assistance in this state using the eligibility 3 24 requirements of this state. If eligible in this state, based 3 25 upon the family size used to determine eligibility, the 3 26 department shall compare the standard grant amount the 3 27 applicant would receive in this state with the standard grant 3 28 amount in the other state. The applicant's standard grant 3 29 amount when receiving public assistance shall be the lesser of 3 30 the two amounts. The department shall apply this state's 3 31 policies in determining the applicant's amount of net income 3 32 and the resulting amount shall be subtracted from the 3 33 applicant's applicable standard grant. 3 34 g. To encourage responsible decision making by families 3 35 receiving public assistance, the department shall do all of 4 1 the following with newly eligible and existing recipient 4 2 parents: 4 3 (1) Discuss orally and in writing the financial 4 4 implications of newly born children on the recipient's family. 4 5 (2) Discuss orally and in writing the available family 4 6 planning resources. 4 7 (3) Include family planning counseling as a required 4 8 activity under the family investment agreement. 4 9 (4) Include the recipient's family planning objectives in 4 10 the family investment agreement. 4 11 Sec. 2. CONTINGENCY PROVISION &endash; TRANSFER. The waiver 4 12 request or requests submitted by the department of human 4 13 services pursuant to section 1 of this Act to the United 4 14 States department of health and human services shall be to 4 15 apply the provisions of section 1 statewide. If federal 4 16 waiver approval of a provision of section 1 of this Act is 4 17 granted, the department of human services shall implement the 4 18 provision in accordance with the federal approval. If a 4 19 provision of this Act is in conflict with a provision of 4 20 chapter 239 or 249C, notwithstanding that provision in chapter 4 21 239 or 249C, the provision of this Act shall be implemented 4 22 and the department shall propose an amendment to chapter 239 4 23 or 249C to resolve the conflict. The department may transfer 4 24 moneys appropriated for a waiver provision to another 4 25 appropriation as deemed necessary by the department if the 4 26 waiver provision is denied by the federal government. 4 27 Sec. 3. RULES. The department of human services shall 4 28 adopt administrative rules pursuant to chapter 17A to 4 29 implement the provisions of section 1 of this Act. If 4 30 necessary to conform with federal waiver terms and conditions 4 31 or to efficiently administer the provisions, the rules may 4 32 apply additional policies and procedures which are consistent 4 33 with the provisions of section 1 of this Act. 4 34 Sec. 4. APPLICABILITY. The effective date of each waiver 4 35 provision in section 1 of this Act granted by the federal 5 1 government shall be set by rule. However, none of the waiver 5 2 provisions of section 1 of this Act shall be implemented 5 3 before July 1, 1996. If federal law is amended to permit this 5 4 state to initiate any of the provisions of section 1 of this 5 5 Act without a federal waiver, the department of human services 5 6 shall proceed to implement the provisions within the time 5 7 period required by this section. 5 8 EXPLANATION 5 9 This bill relates to the family investment program and 5 10 related human services programs by requiring the department of 5 11 human services to apply for certain federal waivers and 5 12 providing applicability provisions. 5 13 The bill describes provisions of waivers involving the 5 14 family investment program (formerly aid to families with 5 15 dependent children now referred to as FIP) and the federal- 5 16 state job opportunities and basic skills (JOBS) program (a 5 17 work and training program for recipients under FIP). In 5 18 addition, the department may apply for federal waivers under 5 19 the federal food stamp program and medical assistance program 5 20 for any changes to coordinate with waivers approved for FIP 5 21 and JOBS. 5 22 The bill requires the department to apply for waivers to 5 23 implement the following provisions: require minor parents to 5 24 live with their parent or guardian except under certain 5 25 exceptions, require those who do not live with their parent or 5 26 guardian to participate in a family development program, and 5 27 require any recipient parent who is 19 years of age or less to 5 28 attend parenting classes; require, subject to the availability 5 29 of child day care, that a minor parent must either have 5 30 graduated from high school or have completed an equivalent, or 5 31 be engaged full-time in completing high school graduation or 5 32 equivalency requirements; for a family with a recipient who is 5 33 less than 20 years of age and engaged full-time in completing 5 34 high school graduation or equivalency requirements, the 5 35 department is required to disregard that recipient's earnings 6 1 in calculating eligibility and amount of assistance for the 6 2 family; adopt measures to strengthen sanctions to disqualify 6 3 recipients who commit fraud relating to public assistance; 6 4 contingent upon the availability of funding to provide child 6 5 day care for the children of recipients who would not be 6 6 exempt, revise the JOBS program participation exemption for 6 7 recipients with young children to only apply the exemption to 6 8 parents with children who are less than three months of age; 6 9 require reduction of the FIP grant amount for those recipients 6 10 who received aid to families with dependent children in 6 11 another state which is less than paid in this state; and 6 12 require various family planning provisions to encourage 6 13 responsible decision making. 6 14 A contingency provision requires the department to request 6 15 approval of the waiver provisions statewide and authorize 6 16 implementation of a federally approved waiver in accordance 6 17 with the approval. In addition, if any of the waiver 6 18 provisions are in conflict with a state law in the FIP or JOBS 6 19 chapters, the provision is still to be implemented and the 6 20 department is directed to propose an amendment to resolve the 6 21 conflict. If moneys are appropriated for a waiver provision 6 22 that is later denied, the department may transfer the 6 23 appropriation to another appropriation, as deemed necessary by 6 24 the department. 6 25 The department is directed to adopt rules through the 6 26 regular rulemaking procedures to implement approved waiver 6 27 provisions. All of the waiver provisions are not to be 6 28 implemented before July 1, 1996. If federal law changes so 6 29 that a waiver is not necessary to implement any of the 6 30 provisions in the bill, the same start date restriction 6 31 applies. 6 32 LSB 2373SC 76 6 33 jp/sc/14.1
Text: SSB00200 - SSB00299 Text: SSB Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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