BP BHEAD INT S

AN ACT Relating to public assistance sanctions and incentives for school attendance; adding a new section to chapter 74.04 RCW; creating new sections; providing an effective date; providing a contingent expiration date; and declaring an emergency.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 74.04 RCW to read as follows:

(1) A participant required to participate by department rule who maintains satisfactory progress in school shall, not more than four times in a calendar year, receive a fifty dollar supplement to the amount of aid paid under this chapter. The department shall pay the supplement to the assistance unit of which a minor who is a member of a public assistance grant unit or a teenage parent is a member in the month following submission of the report card, if received by the department no later than the eleventh calendar day of the month, or in the second month following submission of the report card, if received by the department after the eleventh calendar day of the month.

(2)(a) A participant required to participate by department rule who fails to demonstrate that he or she has made adequate progress in school, either by failing to provide the report card or based on the grades on the report card, is, not more than four times in a calendar year, subject to a sanction that is a reduction of one hundred dollars of the amount that would otherwise be paid under this chapter apportioned equally over a two-month period.

(b)(i) Participants, including, but not limited to, those subject to sanctions, may seek to demonstrate good cause for lack of adequate progress. If there is good cause for lack of adequate progress the department shall either defer the participant from program participation, or waive all or part of the sanction, or both. Participants shall be referred to case management services to determine the causes of poor school performance and how it can be improved.

(ii) For the purposes of this section, good cause shall constitute good cause only when the events described in department rule substantially deprive the participant of the ability to make adequate progress on the report card or periodic progress report.

(3) A participant required to participate who successfully completes high school or a high school equivalency examination shall receive a five hundred dollar supplement. No assistance unit shall receive a fifty dollar supplement when a five hundred dollar supplement for the same report card or progress report is paid. The five hundred dollar supplement shall be paid to a minor who is a member of a public assistance grant unit or a teenage parent in the month following submission of the record of completion, if received by the department no later than the eleventh calendar day of the month, or in the second month following submission of the record of completion, if received by the department after the eleventh calendar day of the month.

(4) The sanction specified in subsection (2) of this section shall be applied only once per report card, not to exceed fifty dollars in any single month, and shall be applied to the amount of aid paid to the assistance unit of which a minor who is a member of a public assistance grant unit or a teenage parent is a member. The participant shall submit a copy of the report card to the case manager within ten working days of receipt of the report card.

(5)(a) For purposes of this section, in schools that provide periodic report cards with letter grades, satisfactory progress means maintaining a grade point average of at least 2.0 on a scale where A equals 4.0 points and F equals 0 points, and adequate progress means maintaining a grade point average of at least 1.0 on the same scale.

(b) For the purposes of this section, in schools or other educational programs that do not provide letter grades indicating student performance, satisfactory progress or inadequate progress shall be determined by the school's regular assessment of periodic progress.

(6) In cases where a participant is subject to a sanction pursuant to subsection (2) of this section, case managers shall do all of the following:

(a) Fully inform teenage parents of the consequences of continuing to fail to comply with the program;

(b) Make reasonable efforts to reach teenage parents who they believe are in danger of continuing to fail to make satisfactory or adequate progress or not to attend school;

(7) If a minor who is a member of a public assistance grant unit or a teenage parent fails or refuses to comply with program requirements without good cause, the case manager shall again inform the client of the consequences of not participating in the program, and shall provide the teenage parent with the telephone number and address of the local welfare rights organization or legal aid society, should he or she need further assistance.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The governor and the department of social and health services shall seek all necessary exemptions and waivers from and amendments to federal statutes, rules, and regulations and shall report to the appropriate committees in the house of representatives and senate quarterly on the efforts to secure the federal changes to permit full implementation of section 1 of this act at the earliest possible date.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. In the event that the department of social and health services is not able to obtain the necessary exemptions, waivers, or amendments referred to in section 2 of this act before January 1, 1998, this act shall expire on that date and shall have no further force or effect.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. If any part of this act is found to be in conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition to the allocation of federal funds to the state, the conflicting part of this act is inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with respect to the agencies directly affected, and this finding does not affect the operation of the remainder of this act in its application to the agencies concerned. The rules under this act shall meet federal requirements that are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal funds by the state.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. 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 July 1, 1995.