H-3635.2 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 2792
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State of Washington 53rd Legislature 1994 Regular Session
By Representatives H. Myers, Jones, Basich, Quall and Cothern
Read first time 01/24/94. Referred to Committee on Human Services.
AN ACT Relating to the job opportunities and basic skills program; adding a new section to chapter 74.25 RCW; creating new sections; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that effective use of state and federal job opportunities and basic skills program funds is essential, because of the positive results such expenditures can have for individuals and the state. Helping income assistance recipients who have been receiving assistance for several years find employment at wages that will meet family needs allows these individuals to achieve financial self-sufficiency and reduces state public assistance expenditures.
(2) The legislature intends to determine whether a more flexible community-based approach to increasing basic skills and job opportunities for income assistance recipients who have been receiving assistance for several years can result in a greater number of these recipients achieving financial self-sufficiency than under the current system for administering job opportunities and basic skills program funds.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 74.25 RCW to read as follows:
(1) In five counties, geographically distributed throughout Washington state, the department shall, within available funds, establish alternative job opportunities and basic skills programs.
(2) In establishing the alternative programs, the department shall:
(a) Contract with community-based nonprofit organizations to provide intensive case management, basic skills training, job or vocational training, job development, job search, and support services to income assistance recipients who have been receiving assistance for a period of at least thirty-six months of the preceding sixty months. Contracted services may be provided directly by the contracting community-based nonprofit organization, by subcontract with other entities, or through direct purchases of goods or services;
(b) Provide that participation in the program by public assistance recipients is voluntary;
(c) Ensure that recipients participating in the program receive intensive case management services that address their individual and family needs;
(d) Broadly define support services to include any services needed by the recipient to achieve self-sufficiency; and
(e) Provide that if a participating recipient, after receiving services under this alternative program for twenty-four months or completing an established vocational education program, whichever is later, has not terminated their receipt of income assistance, that participating recipient's income assistance grant will be reduced by ten percent for the year following the month in which the twelve-month period expired or an established vocational education program was completed, whichever is later, and by an additional fifteen percent for any subsequent year.
(3) Evaluation of the programs established under this section shall measure the following outcomes:
(a) The number of participating recipients in the program who found employment; and
(b) Whether the jobs found had compensation sufficient to allow the recipients to achieve long-term economic self-sufficiency.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. On or before July 1, 1994, the department shall request any congressional or federal regulatory authorization necessary to implement this act.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.
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