HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1936

                  As Amended by the Senate

Title:  An act relating to employability screens for recipients of temporary assistance for needy families.

Brief Description:  Requiring employability screening for recipients of temporary assistance for needy families.

Sponsors:  Representatives Tokuda, Boldt, D. Sommers and Santos.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Children & Family Services:  2/22/99, 2/25/99 [DP].

Floor Activity:

Passed House:  3/9/99, 91-0.

Senate Amended.

Passed Senate:  4/7/99, 28-19.

                 Brief Summary of Bill

$Recipients of temporary assistance for needy families will undergo an employability screen to determine whether they should engage in a job search or be immediately assessed for barriers to employment.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CHILDREN & FAMILY SERVICES

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 10 members:  Representatives D. Sommers, Republican Co-Chair; Tokuda, Democratic Co-Chair; Boldt, Republican Vice Chair; Kagi, Democratic Vice Chair; Campbell; Carrell; Dickerson; Eickmeyer; Kastama and Pflug.

Staff:  David Knutson (786-7146).

Background:

Currently, all recipients of temporary assistance for needy families are required to engage in an immediate job search after being determined eligible for the program.  If they are unsuccessful at a job search, they are assessed to identify their barriers to employment.

Summary of Bill:

All recipients approved to receive temporary assistance for needy families will be subject to an employability screen prior to engaging in a job search.  If the screen determines the recipient is unemployable, they will skip the job search and be immediately screened to identify their specific barriers to employment.

EFFECT OF SENATE AMENDMENT(S): The Senate striking amendment adds good cause exemptions for failure to participate in TANF WorkFirst program components including:  being the victim of domestic violence, being incapacitated or caring for an incapacitated child, or being a nonparent relative age 55 or older and caring for a child on welfare.  Domestic violence victims and those with incapacities, or caring for an incapacitated child, provide documentation in order to qualify for the good cause exemption.  Work requirements are deferred for persons in these categories, and months on TANF are not counted towards the 60-month limit.  Termination of the deferral occurs when the condition upon which it is based no longer exists.

The employability screening prior to engaging in work search is deleted.

Exemptions or deferrals are capped at 20 percent of TANF caseload.  The requirement to refrain from deferring a client until 52 months on caseload is removed.  DSHS facilitates placement of TANF recipients into work activities involving apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship training.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

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

Testimony For:  Some recipients of temporary assistance for needy families have obvious barriers to employment.  They should not be required to go through a job search if they have a clear barrier to employment.

Testimony Against: None.

Testified:  (In support)  Laurie Lippold, Children's Home Society.