S-3587.2          _______________________________________________

                                 SENATE BILL 6367

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1992 Regular Session

By Senators Oke, Roach, West, Sutherland, Nelson, Vognild, Saling, Bauer, Patterson, Amondson, Metcalf, McCaslin, Erwin, Thorsness, Owen, Craswell, L. Smith, Newhouse, Bailey, McDonald, Barr, von Reichbauer, Anderson and Sellar

Read first time 01/27/92.  Referred to Committee on Children & Family Services.Limiting public assistance for persons living in Washington state for less than twelve months.

     AN ACT Relating to public assistance award levels; and amending RCW 74.08.025.

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

     Sec. 1.  RCW 74.08.025 and 1981 1st ex.s. c 6 s 9 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) Public assistance shall be awarded to any applicant:

     (((1))) (a) Who is in need and otherwise meets the eligibility requirements of department assistance programs; and

     (((2))) (b) Who has not made a voluntary assignment of property or cash for the purpose of qualifying for an assistance grant; and

     (((3))) (c) Who is not an inmate of a public institution except as a patient in a medical institution or except as an inmate in a public institution who could qualify for federal aid assistance:  PROVIDED, That the assistance paid by the department to recipients in nursing homes, or receiving nursing home care, may cover the cost of clothing and incidentals and general maintenance exclusive of medical care and health services.  The department may pay a grant to cover the cost of clothing and personal incidentals in public or private medical institutions and institutions for tuberculosis.  The department shall allow recipients in nursing homes to retain, in addition to the grant to cover the cost of clothing and incidentals, wages received for work as a part of a training or rehabilitative program designed to prepare the recipient for less restrictive placement to the extent permitted under Title XIX of the federal social security act.

(2) For any person otherwise qualified to receive public assistance under this title who has resided in the state of Washington for less than twelve continuous months immediately preceding receipt of any public assistance under this title, any public assistance received is limited to levels or amounts of assistance the person would have received from a similar program in the state where the person most recently had an established residence before moving to Washington, if the public assistance is lower than that provided to similarly situated families in Washington.

The department shall conduct a periodic survey of the other states to determine their public assistance levels for programs similar to those in the state of Washington, and shall by rule adopt a scale of public assistance limits based on state of origin.