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SENATE FLOOR VERSION
February 23, 2023
SENATE BILL NO. 694 By: Treat of the Senate
and
McCall of the House
An Act relating to the Temporary Assistance fo r Needy
Families (TANF) program ; amending 56 O.S. 2021,
Section 230.52, which relates to minimum mandatory
requirements; providing for eligibility of certain
pregnant applicant or recipient; deleting obsolete
reference; updating statutory language; providing an
effective date; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 56 O.S. 2021, Section 23 0.52, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 230.52. A. Except for specific exceptions, conditions
or restrictions authorized by the Statewide Te mporary Assistance
Responsibility System (STARS) and rules promulgated by the
Commission for Director of the Departm ent of Human Services pursuant
thereto, the following are the minimum m andatory requirements for
the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program:
1. A recipient shall be eligible to receive assistance pursuant
to the TANF program only for a lif etime total of five (5) years,
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subject to the exemptions allowed by fed eral law. Child-only cases
are not subject to the five -year limitation;
2. Single parents receiving temporary assistance pursuant to
the TANF program shall participate in work activit ies for a minimum
of twenty (20) hours per week during the month. Two -parent families
receiving temporary assistance pursuant to the TANF p rogram shall
participate in work activities for a minimum of thirty -five (35)
hours per week during the month;
3. A recipient must be engaged in one or more of the work
activities set out in paragraph 4 of this subsection as soon as
required by the Depart ment of Human Services pursuant to the TANF
program, but not later than twenty -four (24) months after
certification of the application for assistance, unless the person
is exempt from work requirements under rules promulgated by the
Commission Director pursuant to the STARS;
4. The Department shall develop and describe categories of
approved work activities for the TAN F program recipients in
accordance with this paragraph. Work activitie s that qualify in
meeting the requirements include, but are not limit ed to:
a. (1) unsubsidized employment which is full -time
employment or part-time employment that is not
directly supplemented by federal or state funds,
(2) subsidized private sector empl oyment which is
employment in a private for-profit enterprise or
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a private not-for-profit enterprise that is
directly supplemented by federal or state funds.
Prior to receiving any sub sidy or incentive, the
employer shall enter into a written contract wit h
the Department, and
(3) subsidized public sector employment which i s
employment by an agency of a federal, state, or
local governmental entity which is directly
supplemented by federa l or state funds. Prior to
receiving any subsidy or incentive, the emp loyer
shall enter into a written contract with the
Department.
Subsidized hourly employment or unsubsidized hourly
employment pursuant to this subparagraph shall only be
approved by the Department as work activity if such
employment is subject to:
(a) the federal minimum wage requirements
pursuant to the Fair Labor Standard s Act of
1938, as amended,
(b) the federal Social Security tax and Medicare
tax, and
(c) regulations promulgated pur suant to the
federal Occupational Safety and Health Act
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of 1970 and rules promulgated by the State
Department of Labor pursuant thereto,
b. a program of work experience,
c. on-the-job training,
d. assisted job search which may include supervised or
unsupervised job-seeking activities,
e. job readiness assistance which may inc lude, but is not
limited to:
(1) orientation in the work environment and basic
job-seeking and job retention skills,
(2) instruction in completing an application for
employment and writing a resume, and
(3) instruction in conducting oneself during a job
interview, including appropriate dress,
f. job skills training which is directly related to
employment in a specific occupation for which there is
a written commitment by an employer to o ffer
employment to a recipient who successfully completes
the training. Job skills training includes, but is
not limited to, customized tra ining designed to meet
the needs of a specific employer or a specific
industry,
g. community service programs which are job-training
activities provided in areas where sufficient public
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or private sector employment is not available. Such
activities are linked to both education or training
and activities that substantially enhance a
recipient’s employability,
h. literacy and adult basic education programs,
i. vocational-educational programs, not to exceed twelve
(12) months for any individual, which are dir ected
toward vocational-educational training and education
directly related to employment,
j. education programs whi ch are directly related to
specific employment opportunities, if a reci pient has
not received a high school diploma or General
Equivalency Degree General Educational Development
certificate, and
k. child care for other STARS recipients. The recipient
must meet training and licensing requirements fo r
child care providers as required by the Oklahoma Child
Care Facilities Licensing Act;
5. An applicant or recipient pregnant with an unborn child and
who does not have children living in the home qualifi es for TANF to
the same extent as a parent w ith minor children living in the home;
6. Single, custodial parents with a child up to one (1) year of
age may be exempt from work activities for a lifetime total
exemption of twelve (12) months;
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6. 7. In order to receive assistance, unmarried teen parents of
a minor child at least twelve (12) weeks of age must participate in
educational activities or wor k activities approved by the state;
7. 8. For single-parent families, except for teen parents,
educational activities, other than vocational -technical training, do
not count toward meeting the required twenty (20) hours of work
activity. For two-parent families, educational activities, except
vocational-technical training, do not count toward meeting the
required thirty-five (35) hours of work activity;
8. 9. A teen parent must live at home or in an approved, adult-
supervised setting as specified in Sect ion 230.55 of this title to
receive TANF assistance;
9. 10. A recipient must comply with immunization requirements
established pursuant to the TANF program ;
10. A recipient shall be subject to the incr ement in benefits
for additional children established by Section 230.58 of this title;
11. The following recipient resources are exempt from resource
determination criteria:
a. an automobile with an equity allowance of not more
than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) pursuant to
Section 230.53 of this title,
b. individual development accounts established pursuant
to the Family Savings Initiative Act, or individual
development accounts established prior to November 1,
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1998, pursuant to the provisions of Sect ion 230.54 of
this title in an amount not to exceed Two Thousand
Dollars ($2,000.00),
c. the equity value of funeral arrangements owned by a
recipient that does not excee d the limitation
specified by Section 165 of this title, and
d. earned income disregar ds not to exceed One Hundred
Twenty Dollars ($120.00) and one-half (1/2) of the
remainder of the earned income;
12. An applicant who applies and is otherwise eligible to
receive TANF benefits but who has resided in this state less than
twelve (12) months shall be subject to Section 230.57 of this title;
13. The recipient shall enter into a personal responsibility
agreement with the Department for receipt of assistance pu rsuant to
Section 230.65 of this title;
14. The Department shall, beginning November 1, 2012, screen
all adult applicants for TANF to determine if they are engaged in
the illegal use of a controlled substance or substances. If the
Department has made a d etermination that the applicant is engaged in
the illegal use of a controlled substanc e or substances, the
applicant’s request for TANF cash benefits shall be denied. The
Commission for Human Services Director shall adopt rules to
implement the requiremen ts of this paragraph consistent with the
following:
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a. the Department shall create a c ontrolled substance
screening process to be administered at the time of
application. The process shall, at a minimum, include
a Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventor y (SASSI)
or other similar screening methods. If necessary to
establish a reasonable expectation of certainty, the
Department is authorized to use further screening
methods, which may include, but are not limited to, a
clinical interview, consideration of the Department’s
history with the applicant, and an Addictions
Addiction Severity Index (ASI). If the Department has
reasonable cause to believe that the applicant is
engaged in the illegal use of a controlled substance
or substances, the Department is authorized, though
not required, to request administration of a chemical
drug test, such as urina lysis. The cost of all such
initial screenings shall not be borne by the
applicant,
b. if at any time during the controlled substance
screening process, the applicant re fuses to
participate, that refusal shall lead to a denial of
TANF benefits,
c. if the Department, as the result of a controlled
substance screening process, has determined that the
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applicant is engaged in the illegal use of a
controlled substance or substa nces, the applicant’s
request for TANF cash benefits shall be denied,
subject to the following:
(1) if there has not already been a chemical drug
test administered as part of the controlled
substance screening process, the applicant may
submit proof of a negative chemical drug test
from a state certified laboratory to challenge
the Department’s finding that the applicant is
engaged in the illegal use of a controlled
substance or substances. Proof of the chemical
drug test must be submitted to the Departmen t no
later than the tenth calendar day following
denial. If denial is communicated by mail, the
ten (10) day ten-day window begins on the day
after the date of mailing of the denial notice to
the applicant’s last-known address. The denial
notice is considered to be mailed on the date
that appears on the notice, unless otherwise
indicated by the facts,
(2) if denied due to the provisions of this
subparagraph, an applicant shall not be approved
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until one (1) year has passed since the date of
denial,
(a) if the applicant is denied due to the
provisions of this paragraph, the Department
shall provide a list of substance abuse
treatment programs to the denied applicant,
and
(b) if an applicant has successfully complied
with a recommended substance abuse treatment
program after the date of denial, the
applicant may be approved for cash benefits
after six (6) months have passed since the
date of denial, rather than the required one
(1) year, and
(3) if an applicant has been denied TANF cash
benefits two times due to the provi sions of this
subparagraph, the applicant shall be ineligible
for TANF benefits for a period of three (3) years
from the date of the second denial,
d. child-only cases and minor parents under eighteen (18)
years of age are not subject to the provisions of this
paragraph, and
e. in cases where the application for TANF benefits is
not for child-only benefits, but there is not a parent
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who has been deemed eligib le for cash benefits under
the provisions of this paragraph, any cash benefits
for which the depende nt children of the family are
still eligible shall not be affected and may be
received and administered by an appropriate third
party approved by the Depart ment for the benefit of
the members of the household;
15. a. As a condition of participating in the STARS, all
recipients are deemed to have given authorization for
the release of any and all information necessary to
allow all state and federal agencies t o meet the
program needs of the recipient.
b. The recipient shall be provided a release form to sign
in order to obtain the required information. Failure
to sign the release for m may result in case closure;
and
16. The recipient shall comply with all oth er conditions and
requirements of the STARS, and rules of the Commission promulgated
pursuant thereto.
B. 1. Agencies of this state involved in providing services to
recipients pursuant to the STARS shall exchange information as
necessary for each agency to accomplish objectives and fulfill
obligations created or imposed by the STARS and rules promulga ted
pursuant thereto.
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2. Information received pursuant to the STARS shall be
maintained by the applicable agency and, except as otherwise
provided by this subsection, shall be disclosed only in accordance
with any confidentiality provisions applicable to the agency
originating the information.
3. The various agencies of the state shall execute operating
agreements to facilitate information exchanges pursuan t to the
STARS.
C. In implementing the TANF program, the Department shall:
1. Provide assistance t o aliens pursuant to Section 230.73 of
this title;
2. Provide for the closure of the TANF case when the adult
recipient refuses to cooperate with agreed up on work activities or
other case requirements pursuant to the TANF program;
3. Provide for the sanc tioning of parents who do not require
their minor children to attend school; a nd
4. Deny temporary assistance to fugitive felons.
D. In order to ensure th at the needy citizens of this state are
receiving necessary benefits, the Department shall maintain a
listing of all recipients receiving public assistance. The listing
shall reflect each recipient’s income, social security number, and
the programs in which the recipient is participating including, but
not limited to, TANF, food stamps, child care, and medical
assistance.
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E. The Department is hereby authorized to establish a gra nt
diversion program and emergency assistance services.
SECTION 2. This act shall become effective July 1, 2023.
SECTION 3. It being immediately necessary for the preservation
of the public peace, health or safety, an emer gency is hereby
declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effec t and
be in full force from and after its passage and approval.
COMMITTEE REPORT BY: COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
February 23, 2023 - DO PASS