SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 6167

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

        Labor & Workforce Development, January 31, 2000

                Ways & Means, February 8, 2000

 

Title:  An act relating to public assistance.

 

Brief Description:  Changing public assistance provisions.

 

Sponsors:  Senators Fairley and Thibaudeau.

 

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Labor & Workforce Development:  1/18/2000, 1/31/2000 [DPS].

Ways & Means:  2/3/2000, 2/8/2000 [DP2S].

 

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

 

Majority Report:  That Substitute Senate Bill No. 6167 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.

  Signed by Senators Fairley, Chair; Franklin, Vice Chair; Kline and Wojahn.

 

Staff:  Joanne Conrad (786-7472)

 

SENATE COMMITTEE ON WAYS & MEANS

 

Majority Report:  That Second Substitute Senate Bill No. 6167 be substituted therefor, and the second substitute bill do pass.

  Signed by Senators Loveland, Chair; Bauer, Vice Chair; Brown, Vice Chair; Fairley, Fraser, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Rasmussen, B. Sheldon, Snyder, Spanel, Winsley and Wojahn.

 

Staff:  Brian Sims (786-7431)

 

Background:  Concern exists that some applicants for public assistance may be unaware that they qualify for various benefits, or may be frustrated at the amount of application paperwork required when applying for public assistance.

 

Additional concerns involve streamlining or modernizing portions of Title 74, the part of the Revised Code of Washington that deals with public assistance.

 

Summary of Second Substitute Bill:  Applicants for public assistance use a single, streamlined universal appli­cation form, avoiding repetitive applications.  A purpose of the streamlined form is to assist the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) in identifying applicants who may be eligible for more than one type of assistance, and cross-referring them to additional programs.

 

A customer service focus group is established.

 

Asset determination of Medicaid eligibility for families exiting Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is changed.

 

Second Substitute Bill Compared to Substitute Bill:  The Medicaid eligibility change is limited to families exiting TANF.

 

Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:  The reference to Russian language is removed.  The child care training repealer is removed.  A customer service focus group is established.  Asset determination of Medicaid eligibility is changed.

 

Appropriation:  None.

 

Fiscal Note:  Available.

 

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

 

Testimony For:  Accommodation of clients needing communication in their primary languages is important.  Medicaid asset and resource limits should also be streamlined.

 

Testimony Against:  None.

 

Testified:  Liz Dunbar, Department of Social and Health Services (concerns); Danielle Wellever, Lutheran Public Policy (pro); Cassie Sauer, Children=s Alliance (pro).