H-1527.1          _______________________________________________

                                  HOUSE BILL 1941

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1991 Regular Session

By Representatives Bowman, Leonard, Moyer, Winsley, Paris and Mitchell.

Read first time February 15, 1991.  Referred to Committee on Human Services.Directing the department of social and health services to seek a federal waiver that would allow certain public assistance recipients to retain internship income.

     AN ACT Relating to the receipt of income from internship employment related to job training programs; adding new sections to chapter 74.04 RCW; and creating new sections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.      The legislature finds that recipients of public assistance who are in job training programs need to be able to take advantage of all opportunities that will help them make the transition to full-time employment.  Currently, persons on public assistance who take internship jobs related to their job training programs are penalized by having their internship earnings deducted from their public assistance grants.  This discourages trainees from participating in internship programs. To remove this disincentive, the legislature intends for the department of social and health services to seek waivers from the federal government that would allow participants in the family independence program and the jobs opportunities and basic skills program to retain any income derived from internship employment relating to their job training programs without a reduction in grant levels.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 74.04 RCW to read as follows:

     The department shall petition the federal government for waivers under the family independence program and the jobs opportunities and basic skills program.  Under the terms of the waiver, recipients of public assistance who are in job training programs shall not have the amount of their public assistance grants reduced to offset the income received from internship employment related to their specific job training program.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 74.04 RCW to read as follows:

     Upon the effective date of the waivers granted under section 2 of this act, recipients of public assistance under the family independence program and the jobs opportunities and basic skills program shall not have their public assistance grants reduced to offset the income received from internship employment that is related to their job training programs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.      The department shall report on the status of the waiver and implementation of sections 1 and 2 of this act to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature by December 1, 1991.