HB0056 Keeven, Ronald P. Hall, Glenn et al

P R E F I L E D

HB 56 -- Public Assistance

Co-Sponsors: Keeven, Hall, Sombart

This bill makes a number of changes to public assistance laws. In its main provisions it:

(1) Stipulates that a mother who refuses to name the father of a child eligible for Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) or who refuses to cooperate in establishing paternity is ineligible for AFDC cash assistance for the child;

(2) Prohibits AFDC payments to individuals who are unmarried and who are under age 21, effective July 1, 1996, and prohibits AFDC payments to individuals who are unmarried and who are under age 25, effective July 1, 1998. This prohibition does not apply in cases where (a) the parents of the child were married but one parent dies prior to the birth; (b) after the child's birth, the child is legally adopted or the custodian of the child marries an individual assuming paternity or guardianship and financial responsibility for the child; or (c) the child reaches age 18.

(3) Requires the Department of Social Services to revise the schedule of benefits so that an incremental increase in benefits for the birth of a child is not awarded to families eligible for AFDC or to families who are temporarily ineligible for AFDC due to a failure to comply with requirements, but who subsequently again become eligible for AFDC; families who are eligible for AFDC after a period of penalty-imposed ineligibility and who parent an additional child will also have their monthly earned income disregard increased to reflect the size of the family with the additional child;

(4) Specifies Missouri residency as a requirement for receiving public assistance; allows transients to receive assistance but only through vendor payments for up to 7 days; stipulates that those with less than 12 months of Missouri residency and who are eligible for either AFDC or General Assistance will receive the lesser of the Missouri benefit amount or the prior state's benefit amount;

(5) Denies public assistance benefits to anyone who is in violation of a parole or probation order, or for whom an arrest warrant has been issued and is outstanding;

(6) Requires AFDC recipients over age 16 to participate in community service projects as a condition of eligibility, except for: (a) those with a child under age six in the home; (b) physically incapacitated persons or those who are emotionally or mentally unable to participate, as determined by the Division of Family Services; (c) those who care for a disabled dependent or for a disabled spouse; (d) those who are already employed or self-employed for at least 80 hours per month; (e) nonparent caretaker relatives; (f) those who are geographically distant from the community service site or from the support services, such as transportation, needed to participate; (g) those who are enrolled in a full-time program of instruction or enrolled in a job training program; (h) those who are over the age of 55; and (i) those who cannot participate due to good cause or because services and funds needed to participate are not available;

(7) Requires noncustodial parents of children receiving AFDC who have not paid child support and who are employed to participate in a community service project for at least 16 hours per week; if they are unemployed, they are required to participate in a community service project for at least 24 hours per week, and to conduct job search activities for at least 16 hours per week; noncustodial parents who are emotionally, mentally or physically incapacitated, or who are over age 65, or who are caretakers for a child under 6 or a disabled dependent or disabled spouse are exempted from these requirements;

(8) Terminates AFDC cash benefits after 24 months, except for disabled persons and those who care for a disabled dependent; and

(9) Requires the Department of Social Services to apply for federal waivers necessary to implement the provisions of this bill.