Passed by the House March 8, 2012 Yeas 98   ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives Passed by the Senate March 8, 2012 Yeas 49   ________________________________________ President of the Senate | I, Barbara Baker, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL 2262 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Chief Clerk | |
Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | Secretary of State State of Washington |
State of Washington | 62nd Legislature | 2012 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/10/12. Referred to Committee on Ways & Means.
AN ACT Relating to constraints of expenditures for WorkFirst and child care programs; amending RCW 43.88C.010; adding a new section to chapter 74.08A RCW; repealing RCW 74.08A.340; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 A new section is added to chapter 74.08A RCW
to read as follows:
The department of social and health services shall operate the
Washington WorkFirst program authorized under RCW 74.08A.210 through
74.08A.330, 43.330.145, 43.215.545, and 74.25.040, and chapter 74.12
RCW within the following constraints:
(1) The program shall be operated within amounts appropriated by
the legislature and consistent with policy established by the
legislature to achieve self-sufficiency through work and the following
additional outcomes:
(a) Recipients' economic status is improving through wage
progression, job retention, and educational advancement;
(b) Recipients' status regarding housing stability, medical and
behavioral health, and job readiness is improving;
(c) The well-being of children whose caretaker is receiving
benefits on their behalf is improving with respect to child welfare and
educational achievement.
(2)(a) The department shall create a budget structure that allows
for more transparent tracking of program spending. The budget
structure shall outline spending for the following: Temporary
assistance for needy family grants, working connections child care,
WorkFirst activities and administration of the program.
(b) Each biennium, the department shall establish a biennial
spending plan, using the budget structure created in (a) of this
subsection, for this program and submit the plan to the legislative
fiscal committees and the legislative-executive WorkFirst oversight
task force no later than July 1st of every odd-numbered year, beginning
on July 1, 2013. The department shall update the legislative fiscal
committees and the task force on the spending plan if modifications are
made to the plan previously submitted to the legislature and the task
force for that biennium.
(c) The department also shall provide expenditure reports to the
fiscal committees of the legislature and the legislative-executive
WorkFirst oversight task force beginning September 1, 2012, and on a
quarterly basis thereafter. If the department determines, based upon
quarterly expenditure reports, that expenditures will exceed funding at
the end of the fiscal year, the department shall take those actions
necessary to ensure that services provided under this chapter are
available only to the extent of and consistent with appropriations in
the operating budget and policy established by the legislature
following notification provided in (b) of this subsection.
(3) No more than fifteen percent of the temporary assistance for
needy families block grant, the federal child care funds, and
qualifying state expenditures may be spent for administrative purposes.
For purposes 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.
(4) The department shall expend funds appropriated for work
activities, as defined in RCW 74.08A.250, or for other services
provided to WorkFirst recipients, as authorized under RCW 74.08A.290.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 RCW 74.08A.340 (Funding restrictions) and
2009 c 564 s 953, 2008 c 329 s 922, 2007 c 522 s 957, 2006 c 265 s 209,
& 1997 c 58 s 321 are each repealed.
Sec. 3 RCW 43.88C.010 and 2011 c 304 s 2 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The caseload forecast council is hereby created. The council
shall consist of two individuals appointed by the governor and four
individuals, one of whom is appointed by the chairperson of each of the
two largest political caucuses in the senate and house of
representatives. The chair of the council shall be selected from among
the four caucus appointees. The council may select such other officers
as the members deem necessary.
(2) The council shall employ a caseload forecast supervisor to
supervise the preparation of all caseload forecasts. As used in this
chapter, "supervisor" means the caseload forecast supervisor.
(3) Approval by an affirmative vote of at least five members of the
council is required for any decisions regarding employment of the
supervisor. Employment of the supervisor shall terminate after each
term of three years. At the end of the first year of each three-year
term the council shall consider extension of the supervisor's term by
one year. The council may fix the compensation of the supervisor. The
supervisor shall employ staff sufficient to accomplish the purposes of
this section.
(4) The caseload forecast council shall oversee the preparation of
and approve, by an affirmative vote of at least four members, the
official state caseload forecasts prepared under RCW 43.88C.020. If
the council is unable to approve a forecast before a date required in
RCW 43.88C.020, the supervisor shall submit the forecast without
approval and the forecast shall have the same effect as if approved by
the council.
(5) A councilmember who does not cast an affirmative vote for
approval of the official caseload forecast may request, and the
supervisor shall provide, an alternative forecast based on assumptions
specified by the member.
(6) Members of the caseload forecast council shall serve without
additional compensation but shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in
accordance with RCW 44.04.120 while attending sessions of the council
or on official business authorized by the council. Nonlegislative
members of the council shall be reimbursed for travel expenses in
accordance with RCW 43.03.050 and 43.03.060.
(7) "Caseload," as used in this chapter, means:
(a) The number of persons expected to meet entitlement requirements
and require the services of public assistance programs, state
correctional institutions, state correctional noninstitutional
supervision, state institutions for juvenile offenders, the common
school system, long-term care, medical assistance, foster care, and
adoption support;
(b) The number of students who are eligible for the Washington
college bound scholarship program and are expected to attend an
institution of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.92.030.
(8) The caseload forecast council shall forecast the temporary
assistance for needy families and the working connections child care
programs as a courtesy.
(9) Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions
provided in RCW 43.88.020 apply to this chapter.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4 This act takes effect July 1, 2012.