2015 -- H 5399 | |
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LC000482 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2015 | |
____________ | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- RHODE ISLAND WORKS PROGRAM | |
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Introduced By: Representatives Casey, Phillips, Amore, Blazejewski, and Kazarian | |
Date Introduced: February 11, 2015 | |
Referred To: House Finance | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Sections 40-5.2-8, 40-5.2-12 and 40-5.2-20 of the General Laws in Chapter |
2 | 40-5.2 entitled "The Rhode Island Works Program" are hereby amended to read as follows: |
3 | 40-5.2-8. Definitions. -- (a) As used in this chapter, the following terms having the |
4 | meanings set forth herein, unless the context in which such terms are used clearly indicates to the |
5 | contrary: |
6 | (1) "Applicant" means a person who has filed a written application for assistance for |
7 | herself/himself and her/his dependent child(ren). An applicant may be a parent or non parent |
8 | caretaker relative. |
9 | (2) "Assistance" means cash and any other benefits provided pursuant to this chapter. |
10 | (3) "Assistance Unit" means the assistance filing unit consisting of the group of persons, |
11 | including the dependent child(ren),living together in a single household who must be included in |
12 | the application for assistance and in the assistance payment if eligibility is established. An |
13 | assistance unit may be the same as a family. |
14 | (4) "Benefits" shall mean assistance received pursuant to this chapter. |
15 | (5) "Community Service Programs" means structured programs and activities in which |
16 | cash assistance recipients perform work for the direct benefit of the community under the |
17 | auspices of public or nonprofit organizations. Community service programs are designed to |
18 | improve the employability of recipients not otherwise able to obtain paid employment. |
19 | (6) "Department" means the department of human services. |
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1 | (7) "Dependent Child" means an individual, other than an individual with respect to |
2 | whom foster care maintenance payments are made, who is: (A) under the age of eighteen (18); or |
3 | (B) under the age of nineteen (19) and a full-time student in a secondary school (or in the |
4 | equivalent level of vocational or educational training), if before he or she attains age nineteen |
5 | (19), he or she may reasonably be expected to complete the program of such secondary school (or |
6 | such training). |
7 | (8) "Director" means the director of the department of human services. |
8 | (9) "Earned income" means income in cash or the equivalent received by a person |
9 | through the receipt of wages, salary, commissions, or profit from activities in which the person is |
10 | self-employed or as an employee and before any deductions for taxes. |
11 | (10) "Earned income tax credit" means the credit against federal personal income tax |
12 | liability under § 32 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. § 32, or any successor |
13 | section, the advanced payment of the earned income tax credit to an employee under § 3507 of |
14 | the code, 26 U.S.C. § 3507, or any successor section and any refund received as a result of the |
15 | earned income tax credit, as well as any refundable state earned income tax credit. |
16 | (11) "Education directly related to employment" means education, in the case of a |
17 | participant who has not received a high school diploma or a certificate of high school |
18 | equivalency, related to a specific occupation, job, or job offer. |
19 | (12) "Family" means: (A) a pregnant woman from and including the seventh month of |
20 | her pregnancy; or (B) a child and the following eligible persons living in the same household as |
21 | the child: (C) each biological, adoptive or stepparent of the child, or in the absence of a parent, |
22 | any adult relative who is responsible, in fact, for the care of such child; and (D) the child's minor |
23 | siblings (whether of the whole or half blood); provided, however, that the term "family" shall not |
24 | include any person receiving benefits under title XVI of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § |
25 | 1381 et seq. A family may be the same as the assistance unit. |
26 | (13) "Gross earnings" means earnings from employment and self-employment further |
27 | described in the department of human services rules and regulations. |
28 | (14) "Individual Employment Plan" means a written, individualized plan for employment |
29 | developed jointly by the applicant and the department of human services that specifies the steps |
30 | the participant shall take toward long-term economic independence developed in accordance with |
31 | subsection 40-5.2-10(e). A participant must comply with the terms of the individual employment |
32 | plan as a condition of eligibility in accordance with subsection 40-5.2-10(e) of this chapter. |
33 | (15) "Job Search and Job Readiness" means the mandatory act of seeking or obtaining |
34 | employment by the participant, or the preparation to seek or obtain employment. |
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1 | In accord with federal requirements, job search activities must be supervised by the |
2 | department of labor and training and must be reported to the department of human services in |
3 | accordance with TANF work verification requirements. |
4 | Except in the context of rehabilitation employment plans, and special services provided |
5 | by the department of children, youth and families, job search and job readiness activities are |
6 | limited to four (4) consecutive weeks, or for a total of six (6) weeks in a twelve (12) month |
7 | period, with limited exceptions as defined by the department. The department of human services |
8 | in consultation with the department of labor and training shall extend job search, and job |
9 | readiness assistance for up to twelve (12) weeks in a fiscal year if a state has an unemployment |
10 | rate at least fifty percent (50%) greater than the United States unemployment rate if the state |
11 | meets the definition of a "needy state" under the contingency fund provisions of federal law. |
12 | Preparation to seek employment, or job readiness, may include, but may not be limited |
13 | to, the participant obtaining life skills training, homelessness services, domestic violence services, |
14 | special services for families provided by the department of children youth and families, substance |
15 | abuse treatment, mental health treatment, or rehabilitation activities as appropriate for those who |
16 | are otherwise employable. Such services, treatment or therapy must be determined to be |
17 | necessary and certified by a qualified medical or mental health professional. Intensive work |
18 | readiness services may include work-based literacy, numeracy, hands-on training, work |
19 | experience and case management services. Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to mean |
20 | that the department of labor and training shall be the sole provider of job readiness activities |
21 | described herein. |
22 | (16) "Job skills training directly related to employment" means training or education for |
23 | job skills required by an employer to provide an individual with the ability to obtain employment |
24 | or to advance or adapt to the changing demands of the workplace. Job skills training directly |
25 | related to employment must be supervised on an ongoing basis. |
26 | (17) "Net income" means the total gross income of the assistance unit less allowable |
27 | disregards and deductions as described in subsection 40-5.2-10(g). |
28 | (18) "Minor parent" means a parent under the age of eighteen (18). A minor parent may |
29 | be an applicant or recipient with his or her dependent child(ren) in his/her own case or a member |
30 | of an assistance unit with his or her dependent child(ren) in a case established by the minor |
31 | parent's parent. |
32 | (19) "On-the-job-training" means training in the public or private sector that is given to a |
33 | paid employee while he or she is engaged in productive work and that provides knowledge and |
34 | skills essential to the full and adequate performance of the job. On-the-job training must be |
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1 | supervised by an employer, work site sponsor, or other designee of the department of human |
2 | services on an ongoing basis. |
3 | (20) "Participant" means a person who has been found eligible for assistance in |
4 | accordance with this chapter and who must comply with all requirements of this chapter, and has |
5 | entered into an individual employment plan. A participant may be a parent or non-parent |
6 | caretaker relative included in the cash assistance payment. |
7 | (21) "Recipient" means a person who has been found eligible and receives cash |
8 | assistance in accordance with this chapter. |
9 | (22) "Relative" means a parent, stepparent, grandparent, great grandparent, great-great |
10 | grandparent, aunt, great aunt, great-great aunt, uncle, great-uncle, great-great uncle, sister, |
11 | brother, stepbrother, stepsister, half-brother, half-sister, first cousin, first cousin once removed, |
12 | niece, great niece, great-great niece, nephew, great nephew, or great-great nephew. |
13 | (23) "Resident" means a person who maintains residence by his or her continuous |
14 | physical presence in the state. |
15 | (24) "Self-employment income" means the total profit from a business enterprise, |
16 | farming, etc., resulting from a comparison of the gross receipts with the business expenses, i.e., |
17 | expenses directly related to producing the goods or services and without which the goods or |
18 | services could not be produced. However, items such as depreciation, personal business and |
19 | entertainment expenses, and personal transportation are not considered business expenses for the |
20 | purposes of determining eligibility for cash assistance in accordance with this chapter. |
21 | (25) "State" means the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. |
22 | (26) "Subsidized employment" means employment in the private or public sectors for |
23 | which the employer receives a subsidy from TANF or other public funds to offset some or all of |
24 | the wages and costs of employing a recipient. It includes work in which all or a portion of the |
25 | wages paid to the recipient are provided to the employer either as a reimbursement for the extra |
26 | costs of training or as an incentive to hire the recipient, including, but not limited to, grant |
27 | diversion. |
28 | (27) "Subsidized housing" means housing for a family whose rent is restricted to a |
29 | percentage of its income. |
30 | (28) "Unsubsidized employment" means full or part-time employment in the public or |
31 | private sector that is not subsidized by TANF or any other public program. |
32 | (29) "Vocational Educational Training" means organized educational programs, not to |
33 | exceed twelve (12) months with respect to any participant, that are directly related to the |
34 | preparation of participants for employment in current or emerging occupations. Vocational |
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1 | educational training must be supervised. |
2 | (30) "Work experience" means a work activity that provides a participant with an |
3 | opportunity to acquire the general skills, training, knowledge, and work habits necessary to obtain |
4 | employment. The purpose of work experience is to improve the employability of those who |
5 | cannot find unsubsidized employment. An employer, work site sponsor, and/or other appropriate |
6 | designee of the department must supervise this activity. |
7 | (31) "Work Supplementation" also known as "Grant Diversion" means the use of all or a |
8 | portion of a participant's cash assistance grant and food stamp grant as a wage supplement to an |
9 | employer. Such a supplement shall be limited to a maximum period of twelve (12) months. An |
10 | employer must agree to continue the employment of the participant as part of the regular work |
11 | force, beyond the supplement period, if the participant demonstrates satisfactory performance. |
12 | (32) "Work Activities" mean the specific work requirements which must be defined in |
13 | the individual employment plan and must be complied with by the participant as a condition of |
14 | eligibility for the receipt of cash assistance for single and two (2) family households outlined in § |
15 | 40-5.2-12 of this chapter. |
16 | (33) "Institutions of post-secondary education" shall include, but not be limited to, any |
17 | university, college, or community college, which is authorized to confer associate's degrees, |
18 | bachelor's degrees, master's degrees or doctoral degrees. |
19 | 40-5.2-12. Work requirements for receipt of cash assistance. -- (a) The department of |
20 | human services and the department of labor and training shall assess the applicant/parent or non- |
21 | parent caretaker relative's work experience, educational, and vocational abilities, and the |
22 | department, together with the parent, shall develop and enter into a mandatory individual |
23 | employment plan in accordance with § 40-5.2-10(e) of this chapter. |
24 | (b) In the case of a family including two (2) parents, at least one of the parents shall be |
25 | required to participate in an employment plan leading to full-time employment. The department |
26 | may also require the second parent in a two-parent (2) household to develop an employment plan |
27 | if, and when, the youngest child reaches six (6) years of age or older. |
28 | (c) The written, individual employment plan shall specify, at minimum, the immediate |
29 | steps necessary to support a goal of long-term, economic independence. |
30 | (d) All applicants and participants in the Rhode Island works employment program must |
31 | attend and participate in required appointments, employment plan development, and employment- |
32 | related activities, unless temporarily exempt for reasons specified in this chapter. |
33 | (e) A recipient/participant temporarily exempted from the work requirements may |
34 | participate in an individual employment plan on a voluntary basis, however, remains subject to |
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1 | the same program compliance requirements as a participant without a temporary exemption. |
2 | (f) The individual employment plan shall specify the participant's work activity(ies) and |
3 | the supportive services that will be provided by the department to enable the participant to engage |
4 | in the work activity(ies). |
5 | (g) Work Requirements for single parent families. - In single parent households, the |
6 | participant parent or non-parent caretaker relative in the cash assistance payment, shall participate |
7 | as a condition of eligibility, for a minimum of twenty (20) hours per week if the youngest child in |
8 | the home is under the age of six (6), and for a minimum of thirty (30) hours per week if the |
9 | youngest child in the home is six (6) years of age or older, in one or more of their required work |
10 | activities, as appropriate, in order to help the parent obtain stable, full-time, paid employment, as |
11 | determined by the department of human services and the department of labor and training; |
12 | provided, however, that he or she shall begin with intensive employment services as the first step |
13 | in the individual employment plan. Required work activities are as follows: |
14 | (1) At least twenty (20) hours per week must come from participation in one or more of |
15 | the following ten (10) work activities: |
16 | (A) Unsubsidized employment; |
17 | (B) Subsidized, private-sector employment; |
18 | (C) Subsidized, public-sector employment; |
19 | (D) Work experience; |
20 | (E) On the Job Training; |
21 | (F) Job search and job readiness; |
22 | (G) Community service programs; |
23 | (H) Vocational educational training not to exceed twelve (12) months; |
24 | (I) Providing child care services to another participant parent who is participating in an |
25 | approved community service program; and |
26 | (J) Adult education in an intensive work readiness program. |
27 | (2) Above twenty (20) hours per week, the parent may participate in one or more of the |
28 | following three (3) activities in order to satisfy a thirty-hour (30) requirement: |
29 | (A) Job skills training directly related to employment; |
30 | (B) Education directly related to employment; and |
31 | (C) Satisfactory attendance at a secondary school or in a course of study leading to a |
32 | certificate of general equivalence if it is a teen parent under the age twenty (20) who is without a |
33 | high school diploma or General Equivalence Diploma (GED). |
34 | (3) In the case of a parent under the age of twenty (20), attendance at a secondary school |
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1 | or the equivalent during the month, or twenty (20) hours per week on average for the month in |
2 | education directly related to employment, will be counted as engaged in work. |
3 | (4) A parent who participates in a work experience or community service program for |
4 | the maximum number of hours per week allowable by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is |
5 | deemed to have participated in his or her required minimum hours per week in core activities if |
6 | actual participation falls short of his or her required minimum hours per week. |
7 | (5) A parent who has been determined to have a physical or mental impairment affecting |
8 | employment, but who has not been found eligible for Social Security Disability Benefits or |
9 | Supplemental Security Income must participate in his or her rehabilitation employment plan as |
10 | developed with the office of rehabilitative services that leads to employment and/or to receipt of |
11 | disability benefits through the Social Security Administration. |
12 | (6) A required work activity may be any other work activity permissible under federal |
13 | TANF provisions or state-defined Rhode Island Works Program activity, including up to ten (10) |
14 | hours of activities required by a parent's department of children, youth and families service plan. |
15 | (7) A parent who is enrolled in a full-time course of study at an institution of post- |
16 | secondary education in pursuit of an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree is deemed to have |
17 | fulfilled his/her work requirements for the purposes of § 40-5.2-20. |
18 | (h) Exemptions from work requirements for the single parent family. - Work |
19 | requirements outlined in § 40-5.2-12(g) above shall not apply to a single parent if (and for so long |
20 | as) the department finds that he or she is: |
21 | (1) Caring for a child below the age of one; provided, however, that a parent may opt for |
22 | the deferral from an individual employment plan for a maximum of twelve (12) months during |
23 | the twenty-four (24) months of eligibility for cash assistance, and provided further that a minor |
24 | parent without a high school diploma or the equivalent, and who is not married, shall not be |
25 | exempt for more than twelve (12) weeks from the birth of the child; |
26 | (2) Caring for a disabled family member, who resides in the home and requires full-time |
27 | care; |
28 | (3) A recipient of Social Security Disability benefits or Supplemental Security Income or |
29 | other disability benefits that have the same standard of disability as defined by the Social Security |
30 | Administration; |
31 | (4) An individual receiving assistance who is a victim of domestic violence as |
32 | determined by the department in accordance with rules and regulations; |
33 | (5) An applicant for assistance in her third trimester or a pregnant woman in her third |
34 | trimester who is a recipient of assistance and has medical documentation that she cannot work; |
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1 | (6) An individual otherwise exempt by the department as defined in rules and regulations |
2 | promulgated by the department. |
3 | (i) Work requirement for two-parent families. |
4 | (1) In families consisting of two (2) parents, one parent is required, and shall be engaged |
5 | in, work activities as defined below, for at least thirty-five (35) hours per week during the month, |
6 | not fewer than thirty (30) hours per week of that are attributable to one or more of the following |
7 | listed work activities; provided, however, that he or she shall begin with intensive employment |
8 | services as the first step in the Individual Employment Plan. Two parent work requirements shall |
9 | be defined as the following: |
10 | (A) Unsubsidized employment; |
11 | (B) Subsidized private-sector employment; |
12 | (C) Subsidized public-sector employment; |
13 | (D) Work experience; |
14 | (E) On-the-job training; |
15 | (F) Job search and job readiness; |
16 | (G) Community service program; |
17 | (H) Vocational educational training not to exceed twelve (12) months; |
18 | (I) The provision of child care services to a participant individual who is participating in |
19 | a community service program; and |
20 | (J) Adult education in an intensive work readiness program. |
21 | (2) Above thirty (30) hours per week, the following three (3) activities may also count |
22 | for participation: |
23 | (A) Job skills training directly related to employment; |
24 | (B) Education directly related to employment; and |
25 | (C) Satisfactory attendance at secondary school or in a course of study leading to a |
26 | certificate of general equivalence. |
27 | (3) A family with two (2) parents, in which one or both parents participate in a work |
28 | experience or community service program, shall be deemed to have participated in core work |
29 | activities for the maximum number of hours per week allowable by the Fair Labor Standards Act |
30 | (FLSA) if actual participation falls short of his or her required minimum hours per week. |
31 | (4) If the family receives child care assistance and an adult in the family is not disabled |
32 | or caring for a severely disabled child, then the work-eligible individuals must be participating in |
33 | work activities for an average of at least fifty-five (55) hours per week to count as a two-parent |
34 | family engaged in work for the month. |
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1 | (5) At least fifty (50) of the fifty-five (55) hours per week must come from participation |
2 | in the activities listed in § 40-5.1-12(i)(1). |
3 | Above fifty (50) hours per week, the three (3) activities listed in § 40-5.1-(i)(2) may also |
4 | count as participation. |
5 | (6) A family with two (2) parents receiving child care in which one or both parents |
6 | participate in a work experience or community service program for the maximum number of |
7 | hours per week allowable by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) will be considered to have met |
8 | their required core hours if actual participation falls short of the required minimum hours per |
9 | week. For families that need additional hours beyond the core activity requirement, these hours |
10 | must be satisfied in some other TANF work activity. |
11 | (j) Exemptions from work requirements for two-parent families. - Work requirements |
12 | outlined in § 40-5.2-12(i) above shall not apply to two parent families if (and for so long as) the |
13 | department finds that: |
14 | (1) Both parents receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI); |
15 | (2) One parent receives SSI, and the other parent is caring for a disabled family member |
16 | who resides in the home and who requires full-time care; or |
17 | (3) The parents are otherwise exempt by the department as defined in rules and |
18 | regulations. |
19 | (k) Failure to comply with work requirements. Sanctions and Terminations. |
20 | (1) The cash assistance to which an otherwise eligible family/assistance unit is entitled |
21 | under this chapter, shall be reduced for three (3) months, whether or not consecutive, in |
22 | accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the department, whenever any participant, |
23 | without good cause as defined by the department in its rules and regulations, has failed to enter |
24 | into an individual employment plan; has failed to attend a required appointment; has refused or |
25 | quit employment; or has failed to comply with any other requirements for the receipt of cash |
26 | assistance under this chapter. If the family's benefit has been reduced, benefits shall be restored to |
27 | the full amount beginning with the initial payment made on the first of the month following the |
28 | month in which the parent: (i) Enters into an individual employment plan or rehabilitation plan |
29 | and demonstrates compliance with the terms thereof; or (ii) Demonstrates compliance with the |
30 | terms of his or her existing individual employment plan or rehabilitation plan, as such plan may |
31 | be amended by agreement of the parent and the department. |
32 | (2) In the case where appropriate child care has been made available in accordance with |
33 | this chapter, a participant's failure, without good cause, to accept a bona fide offer of work, |
34 | including full-time, part-time, and/or temporary employment, or unpaid work experience or |
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1 | community service, shall be deemed a failure to comply with the work requirements of this |
2 | section and shall result in reduction or termination of cash assistance, as defined by the |
3 | department in rules and regulations duly promulgated. |
4 | (3) If the family/assistance unit's benefit has been reduced for a total of three (3) months, |
5 | whether or not consecutive in accordance with this section due to the failure by one or more |
6 | parents to enter into an individual employment plan, or failure to comply with the terms of his of |
7 | her individual employment plan, or the failure to comply with the requirements of this chapter, |
8 | cash assistance to the entire family shall end. The family/assistance unit may reapply for benefits, |
9 | and the benefits shall be restored to the family/assistance unit the full amount the |
10 | family/assistance unit is otherwise eligible for under this chapter beginning on the first of the |
11 | month following the month in which all parents in the family/assistance unit who are subject to |
12 | the employment or rehabilitation plan requirements under this chapter: (1) Enter into an |
13 | individual employment or rehabilitation plan as applicable, and demonstrate compliance with the |
14 | terms thereof, or (2) Demonstrate compliance with the terms of the parent's individual |
15 | employment or rehabilitation employment plan in effect at the time of termination of benefits, as |
16 | such plan may be amended by agreement of the parent and the department. |
17 | (4) Up to ten (10) days following a notice of adverse action to reduce or terminate |
18 | benefits under this subsection, the client may request the opportunity to meet with a social worker |
19 | to identify the reasons for non-compliance, establish good cause, and seek to resolve any issues |
20 | that have prevented the parent from complying with the employment plan requirements. |
21 | (5) Participants whose cases had closed in sanction status pursuant to Rhode Island's |
22 | prior Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program, (federal TANF described in Title IVA |
23 | of the federal Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. § 601 et seq.), the Family Independence Program, |
24 | more specifically, § 40-5.1-9(2)(c), due to failure to comply with the cash assistance program |
25 | requirements, but who had received less than forty-eight (48) months of cash assistance at the |
26 | time of closure, and who reapply for cash assistance under the Rhode Island works program, must |
27 | demonstrate full compliance, as defined by the department in its rules and regulations, before they |
28 | shall be eligible for cash assistance pursuant to this chapter. |
29 | (l) Good Cause. - Good Cause for failing to meet any program requirements including |
30 | leaving employment, and failure to fulfill documentation requirements, shall be outlined in rules |
31 | and regulations promulgated by the department of human services. |
32 | 40-5.2-20. Child care assistance. -- Families or assistance units eligible for childcare |
33 | assistance. |
34 | (a) The department shall provide appropriate child care to every participant who is |
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1 | eligible for cash assistance and who requires child care in order to meet the work requirements in |
2 | accordance with this chapter. |
3 | (b) Low-Income child care. - The department shall provide child care to all other |
4 | working families with incomes at or below one hundred eighty percent (180%) of the federal |
5 | poverty level if, and to the extent, such other families require child care in order to work at paid |
6 | employment or to fulfill requirements relating to enrollment in a full-time course of study at an |
7 | institution of post-secondary education in pursuit of an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree |
8 | as defined in the department's rules and regulations. Beginning October 1, 2013, and until June |
9 | 30, 2015, subject to available funding, the department shall also provide child care to families |
10 | with income below one hundred eighty percent (180%) of the federal poverty level if, and to the |
11 | extent, such families require child care to participate on a short-term basis, as defined in the |
12 | department's rules and regulations, in training, apprenticeship, internship, on-the-job training, |
13 | work experience, work immersion, or other job readiness/job attachment program sponsored or |
14 | funded by the human resource investment council (governor's workforce board) or state agencies |
15 | that are part of the coordinated program system pursuant to §§ 42-102-9 and 42-102-11. |
16 | (c) No family/assistance unit shall be eligible for child care assistance under this chapter |
17 | if the combined value of its liquid resources exceeds ten thousand dollars ($10,000). Liquid |
18 | resources are defined as any interest(s) in property in the form of cash or other financial |
19 | instruments or accounts that are readily convertible to cash or cash equivalents. These include, |
20 | but are not limited to, cash, bank, credit union, or other financial institution savings, checking, |
21 | and money market accounts; certificates of deposit or other time deposits; stocks; bonds; mutual |
22 | funds; and other similar financial instruments or accounts. These do not include educational |
23 | savings accounts, plans, or programs; retirement accounts, plans, or programs; or accounts held |
24 | jointly with another adult, not including a spouse. The department is authorized to promulgate |
25 | rules and regulations to determine the ownership and source of the funds in the joint account. |
26 | (d) As a condition of eligibility for child care assistance under this chapter, the parent or |
27 | caretaker relative of the family must consent to, and must cooperate with, the department in |
28 | establishing paternity, and in establishing and/or enforcing child support and medical support |
29 | orders for all children in the family in accordance with title 15, as amended, unless the parent or |
30 | caretaker relative is found to have good cause for refusing to comply with the requirements of this |
31 | subsection. |
32 | (e) For purposes of this section "appropriate child care" means child care, including |
33 | infant, toddler, pre-school, nursery school, school-age, that is provided by a person or |
34 | organization qualified, approved, and authorized to provide such care by the department of |
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1 | children, youth, and families, or by the department of elementary and secondary education, or |
2 | such other lawful providers as determined by the department of human services, in cooperation |
3 | with the department of children, youth and families and the department of elementary and |
4 | secondary education. |
5 | (f) (1) Families with incomes below one hundred percent (100%) of the applicable |
6 | federal poverty level guidelines shall be provided with free childcare. Families with incomes |
7 | greater than one hundred percent (100%) and less than one hundred eighty (180%) of the |
8 | applicable federal poverty guideline shall be required to pay for some portion of the childcare |
9 | they receive, according to a sliding-fee scale adopted by the department in the department's rules. |
10 | (2) For a thirty-six (36) month period beginning October 1, 2013, the child care subsidy |
11 | transition program shall function within the department of human services. Under this program, |
12 | families who are already receiving childcare assistance and who become ineligible for childcare |
13 | assistance as a result of their incomes exceeding one hundred eighty percent (180%) of the |
14 | applicable federal poverty guidelines shall continue to be eligible for childcare assistance from |
15 | October 1, 2013, to September 30, 2016 or until their incomes exceed two hundred twenty-five |
16 | percent (225%) of the applicable federal poverty guidelines, whichever occurs first. To be |
17 | eligible, such families must continue to pay for some portion of the childcare they receive, as |
18 | indicated in a sliding-fee scale adopted in the department's rules and in accordance with all other |
19 | eligibility standards. |
20 | (g) In determining the type of childcare to be provided to a family, the department shall |
21 | take into account the cost of available childcare options; the suitability of the type of care |
22 | available for the child; and the parent's preference as to the type of child care. |
23 | (h) For purposes of this section "income" for families receiving cash assistance under § |
24 | 40-5.2-11 means gross earned income and unearned income, subject to the income exclusions in |
25 | subdivisions 40-5.2-10(g)(2) and 40-5.2-10(g)(3), and income for other families shall mean gross |
26 | earned and unearned income as determined by departmental regulations. |
27 | (i) The caseload estimating conference established by chapter 17 of title 35 shall forecast |
28 | the expenditures for childcare in accordance with the provisions of § 35-17-1. |
29 | (j) In determining eligibility for child care assistance for children of members of reserve |
30 | components called to active duty during a time of conflict, the department shall freeze the family |
31 | composition and the family income of the reserve component member as it was in the month prior |
32 | to the month of leaving for active duty. This shall continue until the individual is officially |
33 | discharged from active duty. |
| LC000482 - Page 12 of 14 |
1 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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| LC000482 - Page 13 of 14 |
EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES -- RHODE ISLAND WORKS PROGRAM | |
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1 | This act would include Rhode Island Works Program participants who are full-time |
2 | students in a post-secondary program for eligibility for child care assistance. |
3 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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| LC000482 - Page 14 of 14 |