BILL REQ. #: H-3481.1
State of Washington | 58th Legislature | 2004 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/15/2004. Referred to Committee on Children & Family Services.
AN ACT Relating to funding constraints affecting the Washington WorkFirst program; and amending RCW 74.08A.340.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1 RCW 74.08A.340 and 1997 c 58 s 321 are each amended to
read as follows:
The department of social and health services shall operate the
Washington WorkFirst program authorized under RCW 74.08A.200 through
74.08A.330, 43.330.145, 74.13.0903 and 74.25.040, and chapter 74.12 RCW
within the following constraints:
(1) The full amount of the temporary assistance for needy families
block grant, plus qualifying state expenditures as appropriated in the
biennial operating budget, shall be appropriated to the department each
year in the biennial appropriations act to carry out the provisions of
the program authorized in RCW 74.08A.200 through 74.08A.330,
43.330.145, 74.13.0903 and 74.25.040, and chapter 74.12 RCW.
(2) The department may expend funds defined in subsection (1) of
this section ((in any manner)), subject to approval of the legislature
in the biennial appropriations act, that will effectively accomplish
the outcome measures defined in RCW 74.08A.410. No more than fifteen
percent of the amount provided in subsection (1) of this section may be
spent for administrative purposes. For the purpose of this subsection,
"administrative purposes" does not include expenditures for information
technology and computerization needed for tracking and monitoring
required by P.L. 104-193. The department shall not increase grant
levels to recipients of the program authorized in RCW 74.08A.200
through 74.08A.330 and 43.330.145 and chapter 74.12 RCW.
(3) The department shall implement strategies that accomplish the
outcome measures identified in RCW 74.08A.410 that are within the
funding constraints in this section. Specifically, the department
shall implement strategies that will cause the number of cases in the
program authorized in RCW 74.08A.200 through 74.08A.330 and 43.330.145
and chapter 74.12 RCW to decrease by at least fifteen percent during
the 1997-99 biennium and by at least five percent in the subsequent
biennium. The department may transfer appropriation authority between
funding categories within the economic services program in order to
carry out the requirements of this subsection.
(4) The department shall monitor expenditures against the
appropriation levels provided for in subsection (1) of this section.
The department shall quarterly make a determination as to whether
expenditure levels will exceed available funding and communicate its
finding to the legislature. If the determination indicates that
expenditures will exceed funding at the end of the fiscal year, the
department shall take all necessary actions to ensure that all services
provided under this chapter shall be made available only to the extent
of the availability and level of appropriation made by the legislature.