Oklahoma 2022 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB394 Compare Versions

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29-HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - FLOOR VERSION
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31-STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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33-1st Session of the 58th Legislature (2021)
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3528 ENGROSSED SENATE
36-BILL NO. 394 By: Coleman and Boren of the
37-Senate
29+BILL NO. 394 By: Coleman of the Senate
3830
3931 and
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4133 Talley of the House
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4738 An Act relating to the Temporary Assistance for Needy
4839 Families (TANF) program ; amending 56 O.S. 2011,
4940 Section 230.52, as amended by Section 1, Chapter 263,
5041 O.S.L. 2012 (56 O.S. Supp. 2020, Section 230.52) ,
5142 which relates to minimum requirements; amending 56
5243 O.S. 2011, Section 230.53 , which relates to e xclusion
5344 of automobile from determination of applican t’s
5445 resources; increasing amount of excluded equity
5546 allowance; and declaring an emergency .
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6152 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF TH E STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
6253 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 56 O.S. 2011, Section 230.52, as
6354 amended by Section 1, Chapter 263, O.S.L. 2012 (56 O.S. Supp. 2020,
6455 Section 230.52), is amended to read as follows:
6556 Section 230.52. A. Except for specific exceptions, conditions
6657 or restrictions authorized by the Statewide Tempo rary Assistance
6758 Responsibility System (STARS ) and rules promulgated by the
6859 Commission for Director of Human Services pursuant thereto, the
60+following are the minimum mandatory req uirements for the Temporary
61+Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program:
62+1. A recipient shall be eligible to receive ass istance pursuant
63+to the TANF program only for a lifetime total of five (5) years,
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96-following are the minimum mandatory requirements for the Temporary
97-Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program:
98-1. A recipient shall be eligible to receive assistance pursuant
99-to the TANF program only for a lifetime total of five (5) years,
10090 subject to the exemptions allowed by federal law. C hild-only cases
10191 are not subject to the five -year limitation;
10292 2. Single parents receiving temporary assistance pursuant to
10393 the TANF program shall participate in work activities fo r a minimum
10494 of twenty (20) hours per week during the month. Two -parent families
10595 receiving temporary assistance pursuant to the TANF program shall
10696 participate in work activities for a minimum of thir ty-five (35)
10797 hours per week during the month;
10898 3. A recipient must be engaged in one or more of the work
10999 activities set out in paragra ph 4 of this subsection as soon as
110100 required by the Department of Human Service s pursuant to the TANF
111101 program, but not late r than twenty-four (24) months after
112102 certification of the application for assistance, unless the person
113103 is exempt from work requiremen ts under rules promulgated by the
114104 Commission Director pursuant to the STARS;
115105 4. The Department shall develop and describe categories of
116106 approved work activities for the TANF prog ram recipients in
117107 accordance with this paragraph. Work activities that qualify in
118108 meeting the requirements include, but are not limited to:
109+a. (1) unsubsidized employment which is full-time
110+employment or part-time employment that is not
111+directly supplemented by federal or state funds,
112+(2) subsidized private sector employment which is
113+employment in a private for -profit enterprise or
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146-a. (1) unsubsidized employment which is full -time
147-employment or part-time employment that is not
148-directly supplemented by federal or state funds,
149-(2) subsidized private sector employment which is
150-employment in a private for -profit enterprise or
151140 a private not-for-profit enterprise that is
152141 directly supplemented by federal or state funds.
153142 Prior to receiving any subsidy o r incentive, the
154143 employer shall enter into a written contract with
155144 the Department, and
156145 (3) subsidized public sector employment which is
157146 employment by an agency of a federal, state, or
158147 local governmental entity which is directly
159148 supplemented by federal or s tate funds. Prior to
160149 receiving any subsidy or incentive, the employer
161150 shall enter into a written contract with the
162151 Department.
163152 Subsidized hourly employmen t or unsubsidized hourly
164153 employment pursuant to this subparagraph shall only be
165154 approved by the Depar tment as work activity if such
166155 employment is subject to:
167156 (a) the federal minimum wage requirements
168157 pursuant to the Fair Labor Standards Act of
169158 1938, as amended,
159+(b) the federal Social Security tax an d Medicare
160+tax, and
161+(c) regulations promulgated pursuant to the
162+federal Occupational Safety and Health Act
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197-(b) the federal Social Security tax and Medicare
198-tax, and
199-(c) regulations promulgated pursuant to the
200-federal Occupational Safety and Health Act
201189 of 1970 and rules promulgated by the State
202190 Department of Labor pursuant thereto,
203191 b. a program of work exp erience,
204192 c. on-the-job training,
205193 d. assisted job search which may include supervised or
206194 unsupervised job-seeking activities,
207195 e. job readiness assistance which may include, but is not
208196 limited to:
209197 (1) orientation in the work environment and basic
210198 job-seeking and job retention skills,
211199 (2) instruction in completing an application for
212200 employment and writing a resume, and
213201 (3) instruction in conducting oneself during a job
214202 interview, including appropriate dress,
215203 f. job skills training which is directly related to
216204 employment in a specific occupation for whic h there is
217205 a written commitment by an employer to offer
218206 employment to a recipient who successfully completes
219207 the training. Job skills training includes, but is
220208 not limited to, customized training designed to mee t
209+the needs of a specific employer or a spec ific
210+industry,
211+g. community service programs which are jo b-training
212+activities provided in areas where sufficient public
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248-the needs of a specific employer or a specific
249-industry,
250-g. community service programs which are job -training
251-activities provided in areas where sufficient public
252239 or private sector empl oyment is not available. Such
253240 activities are linked to both educatio n or training
254241 and activities that substantia lly enhance a
255242 recipient’s employability,
256243 h. literacy and adult basic education programs,
257244 i. vocational-educational programs, not to exceed twel ve
258245 (12) months for any individual, which are directed
259246 toward vocational-educational training and education
260247 directly related to employment,
261248 j. education programs which are directly related to
262249 specific employment opportunities, if a recipient has
263250 not received a high school diploma or General
264251 Equivalency Degree, and
265252 k. child care for other STARS recipients. The recipie nt
266253 must meet training and licensing requirements for
267254 child care providers as required by the Oklahoma Child
268255 Care Facilities Licensing Act;
269256 5. Single, custodial parents with a child up to one (1) year of
270257 age may be exempt from work activities for a lifetim e total
271258 exemption of twelve (12) months;
259+6. In order to receive assistance, unmarried teen parents of a
260+minor child at least twelve (12) weeks of age must participate in
261+educational activities or work activities approved by the state;
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299-6. In order to receive assistance, unmarried teen parents of a
300-minor child at least twelve (12) weeks of age must participate in
301-educational activities or work activities a pproved by the state;
302288 7. For single-parent families, except for teen parents,
303289 educational activiti es, other than vocational-technical training, do
304290 not count toward meeting the required twenty (20) hours of work
305291 activity. For two-parent families, educat ional activities, except
306292 vocational-technical training, do not count toward meeting the
307293 required thirty-five (35) hours of work activity;
308294 8. A teen parent must live at home or in an appr oved, adult-
309295 supervised setting as specified in Section 230.55 of this title to
310296 receive TANF assistance;
311297 9. A recipient must comply with immunization requirements
312298 established pursuant to the TANF program;
313299 10. A recipient shall be subject to the increment in benefits
314300 for additional children established by Section 230.58 of this title;
315301 11. The following recipient res ources are exempt from resource
316302 determination criteria:
317303 a. an automobile with an equity allowance of not more
318304 than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,00 0.00) Ten Thousand
319305 Dollars ($10,000.00) pursuant to Section 230.53 of
320306 this title,
321307 b. individual development accou nts established pursuant
322308 to the Family Savings Initiative Act, or individual
309+development accounts established prior to November 1,
310+1998, pursuant to the provisions of Section 23 0.54 of
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350-development accounts established prior to November 1,
351-1998, pursuant to the provisions of Section 230.54 of
352337 this title in an amount not to exceed Two Thousand
353338 Dollars ($2,000.00),
354339 c. the equity value of funeral arrangements owned by a
355340 recipient that does not exceed the limitation
356341 specified by Section 165 of this title, and
357342 d. earned income disregards not to exceed One Hundred
358343 Twenty Dollars ($120.00) and one-half (1/2) of the
359344 remainder of the earned income;
360345 12. An applicant who applies and is otherwise eligible to
361346 receive TANF benefits but who has resided in this state less than
362347 twelve (12) months shall be subject to Section 230.57 of thi s title;
363348 13. The recipient shall enter into a personal responsibility
364349 agreement with the Department for receipt of assistance pursuant to
365350 Section 230.65 of this title;
366351 14. The Department shall, beginning November 1, 201 2, screen
367352 all adult applicants for TANF to determine if they are engaged in
368353 the illegal use of a controlled substance or substances. If the
369354 Department has made a determination that the applicant is engaged in
370355 the illegal use of a controlled substance or s ubstances, the
371356 applicant’s request for TANF cash benefits shall be denied. The
372357 Commission for Human Services Director shall adopt rules to
358+implement the requirements of this paragraph consistent with the
359+following:
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400-implement the requirements of this paragraph consistent with the
401-following:
402386 a. the Department shall create a controlled subst ance
403387 screening process to be administered at the time of
404388 application. The process shall, at a minimum, include
405389 a Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI)
406390 or other similar screening methods. If necessary to
407391 establish a reasonable expectation of certainty, the
408392 Department is authorized to use further screening
409393 methods, which may include, but are not limited to, a
410394 clinical interview, consideration of the Department ’s
411395 history with the applicant, and an Addictions Severity
412396 Index (ASI). If the Departm ent has reasonable cause
413397 to believe that the applicant is engaged in t he
414398 illegal use of a controlled substance or substances,
415399 the Department is authorized, though not required, to
416400 request administration of a chemical drug test, such
417401 as urinalysis. The cos t of all such initial
418402 screenings shall not be borne by the applicant,
419403 b. if at any time during the controlled substance
420404 screening process, the applicant refuses to
421405 participate, that refusal shall lead to a denial of
422406 TANF benefits,
407+c. if the Department, as the result of a controlled
408+substance screening process, has determined that the
409+applicant is engaged in the illegal use of a
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450-c. if the Department, as the result of a controlled
451-substance screening process, has determined that the
452-applicant is engaged in the illegal use of a
453436 controlled substance or substances, the applicant ’s
454437 request for TANF cash benefits shall be denied,
455438 subject to the following:
456439 (1) if there has not already be en a chemical drug
457440 test administered as part of the controlled
458441 substance screening process, the appli cant may
459442 submit proof of a negative chemical drug test
460443 from a state certified laboratory to challenge
461444 the Department’s finding that the applicant is
462445 engaged in the illegal use of a controlled
463446 substance or substances. Proof of the chemical
464447 drug test must be submitted to the Department no
465448 later than the tenth calendar day following
466449 denial. If denial is communicated by mail, the
467450 ten (10) day window begins on the day after the
468451 date of mailing of the den ial notice to the
469452 applicant’s last-known address. The de nial
470453 notice is considered to be mailed on the date
471454 that appears on the notice, unless otherwise
472455 indicated by the facts,
456+(2) if denied due to the provisions of this
457+subparagraph, an applicant shall no t be approved
458+until one (1) year has passed since the dat e of
459+denial,
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500-(2) if denied due to the provisions o f this
501-subparagraph, an applicant shall not be approved
502-until one (1) year has passed since the date of
503-denial,
504486 (a) if the applicant is denied due to the
505487 provisions of this paragraph, the Department
506488 shall provide a list of subst ance abuse
507489 treatment programs to the denied applicant,
508490 (b) if an applicant has successfully complied
509491 with a recommended substan ce abuse treatment
510492 program after the date of denial, the
511493 applicant may be approved for cash benefits
512494 after six (6) months have pa ssed since the
513495 date of denial, rather than the required one
514496 (1) year, and
515497 (3) if an applicant has been denied TANF cash
516498 benefits two times due to the provisions of this
517499 subparagraph, the applicant shall be ineligible
518500 for TANF benefits for a period of three (3) years
519501 from the date of the second denial,
520502 d. child-only cases and minor parents under eighteen (18)
521503 years of age are not s ubject to the provisions of this
522504 paragraph, and
505+e. in cases where the application for TANF benefits is
506+not for child-only benefits, but there is not a pare nt
507+who has been deemed eligible for cash ben efits under
508+the provisions of this paragraph, any cash be nefits
509+for which the dependent children of the family are
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550-e. in cases where the application for TANF benefits is
551-not for child-only benefits, but there is not a parent
552-who has been deemed eligible for cash benefits under
553-the provisions of this paragraph, any cash benefits
554-for which the dependent children of the family are
555536 still eligible shall not be affected and may be
556537 received and administer ed by an appropriate third
557538 party approved by the Department for the be nefit of
558539 the members of the household;
559540 15. a. As a condition of participating in the STARS, all
560541 recipients are deemed to have given authorization for
561542 the release of any and all informat ion necessary to
562543 allow all state and federal agencies to meet the
563544 program needs of the recipient.
564545 b. The recipient shall be pro vided a release form to sign
565546 in order to obtain the required information. Failure
566547 to sign the release form may result in case cl osure;
567548 and
568549 16. The recipient shall comply with all other conditions a nd
569550 requirements of the STARS, and rules of the Commission Director
570551 promulgated pursuant thereto.
571552 B. 1. Agencies of this state involved in providing services to
572553 recipients pursuant to the STARS shall exchange information as
573554 necessary for each agency to ac complish objectives and fulfill
555+obligations created or im posed by the STARS and rules promulgated
556+pursuant thereto.
557+2. Information received pursuant to the STARS shall be
558+maintained by the appli cable agency and, except as otherwise
559+provided by this subsec tion, shall be disclosed only in accordance
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601-obligations created or imposed by the STARS and rules promulgated
602-pursuant thereto.
603-2. Information received pursuant to the STARS shall be
604-maintained by the applicable agency and, e xcept as otherwise
605-provided by this subsection, shall be disclosed only in accordance
606586 with any confidentiality provisions applicable to the agency
607587 originating the information.
608588 3. The various agencies of the state shall execute operating
609589 agreements to facilitate information exchanges pursuant to t he
610590 STARS.
611591 C. In implementing the TANF program, the Depar tment shall:
612592 1. Provide assistance to aliens pursuant to Section 230.73 of
613593 this title;
614594 2. Provide for the closure of the TANF case when the adult
615595 recipient refuses to cooperate with agreed upon work activities or
616596 other case requirements pursuant to the T ANF program;
617597 3. Provide for the sanctioning of parents who do not require
618598 their minor children to attend school; and
619599 4. Deny temporary a ssistance to fugitive felons.
620600 D. In order to ensure that the needy citizens of this state are
621601 receiving necessary ben efits, the Department shall maintain a
622602 listing of all recipients receiving public assistance. The listing
623603 shall reflect each recipient ’s income, social security number, and
624604 the programs in which the recipient is participating including, but
605+not limited to, TANF, food stamps, child care, and medical
606+assistance.
607+E. The Department is hereby authorized to establish a grant
608+diversion program an d emergency assistance services.
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652-not limited to, TANF, food stamps, child care , and medical
653-assistance.
654-E. The Department is hereby authorized to establish a grant
655-diversion program and emergency assista nce services.
656635 SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 56 O.S. 2011, Section 230.53, is
657636 amended to read as follows:
658637 Section 230.53. The Department of Human Servic es shall exclude
659638 an automobile with an equity all owance of not more than Five
660639 Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) from
661640 the determination of resources available to meet the needs of an
662641 applicant for or recipient of benefits under the Temporary
663642 Assistance for Needy Families (TANF ) program.
664643 SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the p reservation
665644 of the public peace, health or safety, an eme rgency is hereby
666645 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall ta ke effect and
667646 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
647+Passed the Senate the 2nd day of March, 2021.
668648
669-COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS AND BUDGET, dated
670-04/15/2021 - DO PASS, As Coauthored.
649+
650+
651+ Presiding Officer of the Senate
652+
653+
654+Passed the House of Represen tatives the ____ day of __________,
655+2021.
656+
657+
658+
659+ Presiding Officer of the House
660+ of Representatives
661+