BILL REQ. #:  S-0482.1 

Read first time 01/20/11.   Referred to Committee on Human Services & Corrections.

     AN ACT Relating to ensuring temporary assistance for needy family grants are used for the benefit of children; and amending RCW 74.12.260 and 74.08A.020.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 74.12.260 and 1997 c 59 s 21 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1) Temporary assistance for needy families grants shall be made to persons specified in RCW 74.12.010 as amended or such others as the federal department of health, education and welfare shall recognize for the sole purposes of giving benefits to the children whose needs are included in the grant paid to such persons. The recipient of each temporary assistance for needy families grant shall be and hereby is required to present reasonable proof to the department of social and health services as often as may be required by the department that all funds received in the form of a temporary assistance for needy families grant for the children represented in the grant are being spent for the benefit of the children.
     (2) The temporary assistance for needy families grant shall be dispensed as an electronic voucher benefit using the electronic benefit transfer system as specified in RCW 74.08A.020 to ensure that the grant is being spent for the benefit of the children. The electronic voucher benefit shall consist of the full grant amount and shall limit all purchases, transactions, and payments to such items and purposes to be defined by the department in rule as having a clear benefit to the children.
     (3) The portion of the temporary assistance for needy families grant that can be withdrawn as cash shall be limited by the vendor to no greater than fifty dollars per month. The remainder of the grant amount may only be accessed through the electronic voucher benefit.
     (4) For any purchase or payment that cannot be made by using the electronic voucher benefit, a recipient of the temporary assistance for needy families grant may request from the department that a direct payment be issued on a regular or one-time basis to any landlord, utility company, or other approved entity. The department may deduct an amount from the grant to cover the administrative cost of issuing a direct payment.
     (5) The department shall require the electronic benefit transfer system vendor to fully implement the electronic voucher benefit by a date no later than July 1, 2012.
     (6) On an annual basis, the department shall provide complete and comprehensive transaction detail from the electronic benefit transfer system to the state auditor for purposes of an audit using a statistically significant sample of the temporary assistance for needy families caseload to determine whether the requirements of this section are being met.

Sec. 2   RCW 74.08A.020 and 1997 c 58 s 104 are each amended to read as follows:
     ((By October 2002,)) (1) The department shall develop and implement an electronic benefit transfer system to be used for the delivery of public assistance benefits, including without limitation, food assistance.
     (2) By July 1, 2012, the electronic benefit transfer system shall be capable of delivering an electronic voucher benefit consistent with the provisions of RCW 74.12.260.
     (3) The department shall comply with P.L. 104-193, and shall cooperate with relevant federal agencies in the design and implementation of the electronic benefit transfer system.