5048-S AMS ZEIG HOVD 052

SSB 5048 - S AMD 162

By Senator Zeiger

ADOPTED 03/23/2017

    On page 68, line 28, increase the General Fund--State Appropriation (FY 2018) by $22,000.

    On page 68, line 29, increase the General Fund--State Appropriation (FY 2019) by $22,000.

    Adjust the total appropriation accordingly.

    On page 73, after line 19, insert the following:

    "(12) $22,000 of the general fund-state appropriation for fiscal year 2018 and $22,000 of the general fund-state appropriation for fiscal year 2019 are provided solely for a legislative-executive WorkFirst poverty reduction oversight task force during the 2017-2019 fiscal biennium.

    (a) The primary goals of the task force are to:

    (i) Reduce the overall percentage of people living below two hundred percent of the federal poverty level by fifty percent by the year 2025. The task force must work toward this goal in a manner that seeks to eliminate disparities including, but not limited to, disparities by race, ethnicity, sex, gender, zip code, immigration status, age, household type, and disability status; and

    (ii) Prevent and address adverse childhood experiences and the trauma of children who are living in poverty through the provision of effective services.

(b) The task force shall include diverse, statewide representation and its membership shall reflect regional, racial, and cultural diversity to adequately represent the needs of all children and families in the state. The task force shall consist of the following members:

    (i) Two members from each of the two largest caucuses of the senate;

    (ii) Two members from each of the two largest caucuses of the house of representatives;

    (iii) One governor appointed representative from each of the following agencies: (A) The department of social and health services; (B) the department of early learning; (C) the department of commerce; (D) the employment security department; (E) the office of the superintendent of public instruction; (F) the department of corrections; and (G) the state board for community and technical colleges;

    (iv) One governor appointed representative from each of the following agencies to serve in an advisory capacity to the task force: The department of health, the health care authority, and the workforce training and education coordinating board; and

    (v) One or more representatives of tribal governments.

    (vi) The cochairs of the intergenerational poverty advisory committee created in this subsection shall serve as voting members of the task force.

    (c) The task force shall choose cochairs, one from among the legislative members and one from among the executive branch members. The legislative members shall convene the initial meeting of the task force.

    (d) The task force shall:

(i) Oversee the partner agencies' operation of the WorkFirst program and operation of the temporary assistance for needy families program to ensure that the programs are achieving desired outcomes for their clients;

    (ii) Determine evidence-based outcome measures for the WorkFirst program, including measures related to equitably serving the needs of historically underrepresented populations, such as English language learners, immigrants, refugees, and other diverse communities;

    (iii) Develop accountability measures for WorkFirst recipients and the state agencies responsible for their progress toward self-sufficiency;

    (iv) Review existing statutes, administrative codes, and budget appropriations for their impact on advancing the goal of fifty percent poverty reduction by 2025;

    (v) Seek input on best practices from service providers, community-based organizations, legislators, state agencies, stakeholders, the business community, and subject matter experts;

    (vi) Collaborate with partner agencies to share and analyze data and information collected from other sources regarding intergenerational poverty in the state, with a primary focus on data and information regarding children who are at risk of continuing the cycle of poverty and welfare dependency unless outside intervention is made;

    (vii) Make recommendations to the governor and the legislature regarding:

    (A) Policies to improve the effectiveness of the WorkFirst program over time;

    (B) Early identification of those recipients most likely to experience long stays on the program and strategies to improve their ability to achieve progress toward self-sufficiency; and

    (C) Necessary changes to the program, including taking into account federal changes to the temporary assistance for needy families program;

    (viii) Direct the department of social and health services to develop a five-year and ten-year plan to address intergenerational poverty, subject to oversight and approval by the task force. Upon approval by the task force, the department must submit these plans to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature by December 1, 2018; and

    (ix) No later than December 1, 2018, provide a report to the governor and the appropriate committees of the legislature on the progress being made towards the goals identified in this section.

    (e) Staff support for the task force must be provided by senate committee services, the house of representatives office of program research, and the state agency members of the task force.

    (f) The task force shall meet on a quarterly basis, or as determined necessary by the task force cochairs.

    (g) Legislative members of the task force are reimbursed for travel expenses in accordance with RCW 44.04.120. Nonlegislative members are not entitled to be reimbursed for travel expenses if they are elected officials or are participating on behalf of an employer, governmental entity, or other organization. Any reimbursement for other nonlegislative members is subject to chapter 43.03 RCW.

    (h) The expenses of the task force must be paid jointly by the senate and the house of representatives. Task force expenditures are subject to approval by the senate facilities and operations committee and the house of representatives executive rules committee, or their successor committees.

    (i) During its tenure, the state agency members of the task force shall respond in a timely manner to data requests from the cochairs.

    Renumber the remaining sections consecutively and correct any internal references accordingly.

EFFECT:   Funding is provided to create the Intergenerational Poverty Advisory Committee to 1) Reduce the overall percentage of people living below two hundred percent of the federal poverty level by fifty percent by the year 2025; and 2) Prevent and address adverse childhood experiences and the trauma of children who are living in poverty through the provision of effective services.

FISCAL IMPACT: $44,000 GF-S

FOUR-YEAR OUTLOOK IMPACT: $44,000 GF-S

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