| 12 | 13 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 |
|---|
| 13 | 14 | | AN ACT TO EXPAND TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES 2 |
|---|
| 14 | 15 | | (TANF)/WORK FIRST PROGRAM ASSISTANCE BENEFITS TO INCLUDE A 3 |
|---|
| 15 | 16 | | WOMAN WHO IS PREGNANT , INCREASE THE CASH ASSISTANCE BENEFIT 4 |
|---|
| 16 | 17 | | AMOUNT, INCREASE RESOURCE AND INCOME LIMITS FOR CASH ASSISTANCE, 5 |
|---|
| 17 | 18 | | AND REMOVE TIME LIMITATIONS ON CASH ASSISTANCE OTHER THAN THOSE 6 |
|---|
| 18 | 19 | | REQUIRED BY FEDERAL LAW . 7 |
|---|
| 19 | 20 | | The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 8 |
|---|
| 20 | 21 | | SECTION 1. G.S. 108A-24 reads as rewritten: 9 |
|---|
| 21 | 22 | | "§ 108A-24. Definitions. 10 |
|---|
| 22 | 23 | | As used in Chapter 108A: 11 |
|---|
| 23 | 24 | | … 12 |
|---|
| 24 | 25 | | (3c) "Family" means a unit consisting of a minor child or children and one or more 13 |
|---|
| 25 | 26 | | of their biological parents, adoptive parents, stepparents, or grandparents 14 |
|---|
| 26 | 27 | | living together. For purposes of the Work First Program, family also includes 15 |
|---|
| 27 | 28 | | a pregnant woman, blood or half-blood relative or adoptive relative limited to 16 |
|---|
| 28 | 29 | | brother, sister, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent, uncle, aunt, 17 |
|---|
| 29 | 30 | | great-uncle, great-aunt, great-great-uncle, great-great-aunt, nephew, niece, 18 |
|---|
| 30 | 31 | | first cousin, stepbrother, and stepsister. 19 |
|---|
| 31 | 32 | | … 20 |
|---|
| 32 | 33 | | (15) "Work First Family Assistance" is a program of time-limited periodic 21 |
|---|
| 33 | 34 | | payments to assist in maintaining the children of eligible families while the 22 |
|---|
| 34 | 35 | | adult family members engage in activities to prepare for entering and to enter 23 |
|---|
| 35 | 36 | | the workplace. 24 |
|---|
| 36 | 37 | | …." 25 |
|---|
| 37 | 38 | | SECTION 2. G.S. 108A-27.01 reads as rewritten: 26 |
|---|
| 38 | 39 | | "§ 108A-27.01. Income eligibility and payment level for Work First Family Assistance. 27 |
|---|
| 39 | 40 | | The maximum net family annual income eligibility standards for Work First Family 28 |
|---|
| 40 | 41 | | Assistance are as provided in the table below. shall be equal to seventy-five percent (75%) of the 29 |
|---|
| 41 | 42 | | federal poverty level for the applicable family size. The payment level for Work First Family 30 |
|---|
| 42 | 43 | | Assistance shall be fifty percent (50%) of the standard of need.forty percent (40%) of the federal 31 |
|---|
| 43 | 44 | | poverty level for the applicable family size. 32 |
|---|
| 44 | 45 | | Family Income 33 |
|---|
| 45 | 46 | | Size Level 34 |
|---|
| 46 | 47 | | 1 $ 4,344 35 |
|---|
| 49 | 54 | | 3 6,528 1 |
|---|
| 50 | 55 | | 4 7,128 2 |
|---|
| 51 | 56 | | 5 7,776 3 |
|---|
| 52 | 57 | | 6 8,376 4 |
|---|
| 53 | 58 | | 7 8,952 5 |
|---|
| 54 | 59 | | 8 9,256" 6 |
|---|
| 55 | 60 | | SECTION 3. Part 2 of Article 2 of Chapter 108A of the General Statutes is amended 7 |
|---|
| 56 | 61 | | by adding a new section to read: 8 |
|---|
| 57 | 62 | | "§ 108A-27.02. Resource limits. 9 |
|---|
| 58 | 63 | | The resources of a person or family for cash assistance shall not exceed five thousand dollars 10 |
|---|
| 59 | 64 | | ($5,000). However, the equity value of one vehicle per family shall not be counted as a resource 11 |
|---|
| 60 | 65 | | of the family if the vehicle is used for work, training, or education in preparation for employment 12 |
|---|
| 61 | 66 | | or a job search; provided, further that an exclusion in the amount of four thousand six hundred 13 |
|---|
| 62 | 67 | | fifty dollars ($4,650) of the equity value of one additional vehicle is allowed." 14 |
|---|
| 63 | 68 | | SECTION 4. G.S. 108A-27.1 reads as rewritten: 15 |
|---|
| 64 | 69 | | "§ 108A-27.1. Time limitations on assistance. 16 |
|---|
| 65 | 70 | | (a) Under the Standard Work First Program, unless an extension or an exemption is 17 |
|---|
| 66 | 71 | | provided pursuant to the provisions of the Part or the State Plan, any cash assistance provided to 18 |
|---|
| 67 | 72 | | a person or family in the employment program shall only be provided for a cumulative total of 19 |
|---|
| 68 | 73 | | 24 months. After having received cash assistance for 24 months, the person or the family may 20 |
|---|
| 69 | 74 | | reapply for cash assistance, but not until after 36 months from the last month the person or the 21 |
|---|
| 70 | 75 | | family received cash assistance. This subsection shall not apply to child-only cases. 22 |
|---|
| 71 | 76 | | (b) Electing Counties may set any time limitations on assistance it finds appropriate, so 23 |
|---|
| 72 | 77 | | long as the time limitations do not conflict with or exceed any federal time limitations. 24 |
|---|
| 73 | 78 | | The State shall not impose any time limitations on eligible families receiving Work First 25 |
|---|
| 74 | 79 | | Family Assistance, except for those time limitations set by federal law or regulations." 26 |
|---|
| 75 | 80 | | SECTION 5. This act is effective when it becomes law. 27 |
|---|