SENATE BILL REPORT

                   HB 2686

              As Reported By Senate Committee On:

       Labor & Workforce Development, February 22, 2000

Title:  An act relating to definitions of income and resources.

Brief Description:  Updating definitions of income and resources.

Sponsors:  Representatives Tokuda and D. Sommers; by request of Department of Social and Health Services.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Labor & Workforce Development:  2/22/2000 [DP].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Majority Report:  Do pass.

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

Staff:  Joanne Conrad (786-7472)

Background:  Persons applying for public assistance must meet certain statutory asset limits.  Current law sets forth complex criteria regarding the value of the home, vehicle and other property an applicant may have in order to qualify for assistance.

Interpretation of the complex criteria is administratively challenging.  It is difficult to apply the asset limit definitions equitably statewide.  Interpretations by individual Department of Social and Health Services workers may be unintentionally subjective, uneven or arbitrary.

Summary of Bill:  Resource limits for the purpose of qualifying for public assistance are simplified and clarified.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

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

Testimony For:  This bill is needed as part of ongoing rule simplification.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  John Atherton, Dir. of Assistance Programs, DSHS (pro).