TX
Texas Senate Bill SB2124

Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2124 Compare Versions

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12 By: Perry S.B. No. 2124
2- (In the Senate - Filed March 10, 2017; March 28, 2017, read
3- first time and referred to Committee on Finance; April 27, 2017,
4- reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the
5- following vote: Yeas 11, Nays 2; April 27, 2017, sent to printer.)
6-Click here to see the committee vote
7- COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 2124 By: Hancock
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105 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
116 AN ACT
127 relating to a pilot program for assisting certain recipients of
13- public benefits to gain permanent self-sufficiency.
8+ public benefits with gaining self-sufficiency.
149 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1510 SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 531, Government Code, is
1611 amended by adding Section 531.02241 to read as follows:
1712 Sec. 531.02241. PILOT PROGRAM FOR SELF-SUFFICIENCY OF
1813 CERTAIN PERSONS RECEIVING TEMPORARY ASSISTANCE FOR NEEDY FAMILIES
19- BENEFITS OR OTHER SERVICES. (a) In this section:
20- (1) "Financial assistance benefits" means money
21- payments under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
22- program authorized by Chapter 31, Human Resources Code.
23- (2) "Living wage" means an amount of money, determined
24- by a market-based calculation that uses geographically specific
25- expenditure data, that is sufficient to meet a family's minimum
26- necessary spending on basic needs, including food, child care,
27- health insurance, housing, and transportation.
28- (3) "Self-sufficiency" means being employed in a
29- position that pays a living wage, having financial savings in an
30- amount that is equal to at least three months of living wage income,
31- and owing only a reasonable amount of debt.
32- (b) The commission shall develop and implement a pilot
33- program for assisting up to 100 eligible participants under this
34- section to gain permanent self-sufficiency and no longer require
35- financial assistance or other public benefits.
36- (c) The pilot program will test waiving, for at least 24
37- months but not more than 60 months, income and asset limit
38- eligibility requirements for financial assistance benefits. The
39- waiver of any income limit requirement must be in an amount that
40- does not exceed the amount, based on a participant's family makeup
41- and the living wage in the participant's geographical area of
42- residence, determined to be necessary for the purposes of the
43- program. The waiver of any asset limit requirement must be in an
44- amount that is equal to or less than three months of the
45- participant's income.
46- (d) The pilot program must be designed to allow social
47- services providers, public benefit offices, and other community
48- partners to refer potential participants to the program. A person
49- is eligible to participate in the program established under this
50- section if the person:
51- (1) is a recipient of financial assistance benefits;
52- (2) has a total household income that is less than a
53- living wage based on the recipient's family makeup and geographical
54- area of residence;
55- (3) is at least 18 but not more than 62 years of age;
14+ BENEFITS OR OTHER SERVICES. (a) The commission shall develop and
15+ implement a pilot program for assisting an eligible participant
16+ under this section with gaining self-sufficiency and no longer
17+ requiring financial assistance, child care assistance, or other
18+ public benefits.
19+ (b) A person is eligible to participate in the pilot program
20+ established under this section if the person:
21+ (1) is a recipient of financial assistance benefits
22+ under Chapter 31, Human Resources Code, or child care assistance
23+ under the child care management services program operated by the
24+ Texas Workforce Commission;
25+ (2) has a total household income that is less than the
26+ amount necessary for the recipient to be self-sufficient based on
27+ the recipient's family's makeup and geographical area of residence;
28+ (3) is at least 18 but not more than 55 years of age;
5629 and
57- (4) is willing and legally able to be employed.
58- (e) The pilot program must be designed to assist eligible
30+ (4) is willing and able to be employed.
31+ (c) The program must be designed to assist eligible
5932 participants in attaining self-sufficiency by:
6033 (1) identifying eligibility requirements for the
61- benefits described by Subsection (d)(1) that may be waived for a
62- limited period of time and that, if applied, would impede
63- self-sufficiency;
34+ benefits or assistance described by Subsection (b)(1) that may be
35+ waived for a limited period of time and that, if applied, would
36+ impede self-sufficiency;
6437 (2) implementing strategies, including waiving the
6538 eligibility requirements identified in Subdivision (1), to remove
6639 barriers to self-sufficiency; and
6740 (3) moving eligible participants through progressive
6841 stages toward self-sufficiency that include the following phases:
6942 (A) an initial phase in which a participant moves
70- out of an emergent crisis by securing housing, medical care, and
71- financial assistance benefits;
43+ out of financial crisis by securing housing, medical care, and
44+ financial assistance;
7245 (B) a second phase in which the participant moves
73- toward stability by securing employment and, if necessary, child
74- care and by participating in services that build the financial
75- management skills necessary to meet financial goals;
46+ toward stability by securing employment and child care and
47+ participating in case management and financial education programs;
7648 (C) a third phase in which the participant
7749 transitions to self-sufficiency by securing employment that pays a
78- living wage, reducing debt, and building savings; and
79- (D) a final phase in which the participant
80- attains self-sufficiency by retaining employment that pays a living
81- wage, amassing at least three months of living wage savings, and
50+ living wage, paying debt, and building savings; and
51+ (D) a final phase in which the participant moves
52+ out of poverty by amassing at least three months of savings and
8253 eliminating debt so that the participant will no longer be
83- dependent on financial assistance or other public benefits.
84- (f) A person who wishes to participate in the pilot program
85- must attend an in-person intake meeting with a program case
86- manager. During the intake meeting the case manager shall:
87- (1) determine whether:
88- (A) the person meets the eligibility
89- requirements under Subsection (d); and
90- (B) the income or asset limit eligibility
91- requirements may be waived under the program;
92- (2) review the person's demographic information and
93- household financial budget;
94- (3) assess the person's current financial and career
95- situations;
96- (4) collaborate with the person to develop and
97- implement strategies for removing barriers to attaining
98- self-sufficiency, including waiving income and asset limit
99- eligibility requirements for financial assistance benefits; and
100- (5) if the person is determined to be eligible for and
101- chooses to participate in the program, schedule a follow-up meeting
102- to further assess the person's crisis, review available referral
103- services, and create a service plan.
104- (g) The pilot program must provide each participant with
105- holistic, wraparound case management services to ensure that goals
106- included in a participant's service plan are achieved. A
107- participant must be assigned a program case manager who shall:
108- (1) if the participant is determined to be eligible,
109- provide the participant with a waiver described by Subsection (c),
110- allowing the participant to continue receiving financial
111- assistance benefits;
112- (2) assess, at the follow-up meeting scheduled under
113- Subsection (f)(5), the participant's crisis, review available
114- referral services, and create a service plan; and
115- (3) during the initial phase of the program, create
116- medium- and long-term goals consistent with the strategies
117- developed under Subsection (f)(4).
118- (h) The pilot program established under this section must
119- operate for at least 24 months. The program shall also include 16
120- additional months for:
121- (1) planning and designing the program before the
122- program begins operation; and
123- (2) data collection and program evaluation after the
124- program begins operation.
125- (i) The commission shall develop and implement the pilot
54+ dependent on public assistance benefits.
55+ (d) The pilot program established under this section must
56+ operate for at least 12 months but may include additional planning,
57+ testing, and data-gathering periods.
58+ (e) The commission shall develop and implement the pilot
12659 program established under this section with the assistance of the
12760 Texas Workforce Commission, local workforce development boards,
61+ the United States Department of Health and Human Services,
12862 faith-based and other relevant public or private organizations, and
12963 any other entity or person the commission determines appropriate.
130- (j) The commission shall monitor and evaluate the pilot
131- program in a manner that allows for promoting research-informed
132- results of the program.
133- (k) On the conclusion of the pilot program but not later
134- than 24 months following the date on which the program begins
135- operation, the commission shall report to the legislature on the
136- results of the program. The report must include:
64+ (f) On the conclusion of the pilot program but not later
65+ than September 1, 2020, the commission shall report to the
66+ legislature on the results of the pilot program. The report must
67+ include:
13768 (1) an evaluation of the program's effect on eligible
13869 participants in achieving self-sufficiency and no longer requiring
139- public benefits;
70+ financial assistance, child care assistance, or other public
71+ benefits;
14072 (2) the impact to this state on the costs of the
141- financial assistance benefits program and the child care management
142- services program operated by the Texas Workforce Commission; and
73+ financial assistance program under Chapter 31, Human Resources
74+ Code, and the child care management services program operated by
75+ the Texas Workforce Commission; and
14376 (3) recommendations on the feasibility and
144- continuation of the program.
145- (l) During the operation of the pilot program, the
146- commission shall provide to the legislature additional reports
147- concerning the program that the commission determines to be
148- appropriate.
149- (m) The executive commissioner and the Texas Workforce
77+ continuation of the pilot program.
78+ (g) The executive commissioner and the Texas Workforce
15079 Commission may adopt rules to implement this section.
151- (n) This section expires September 1, 2022.
80+ (h) This section expires September 1, 2020.
15281 SECTION 2. If before implementing any provision of this Act
15382 a state agency determines that a waiver or authorization from a
15483 federal agency is necessary for implementation of that provision,
15584 the agency affected by the provision shall request the waiver or
15685 authorization and may delay implementing that provision until the
15786 waiver or authorization is granted.
158- SECTION 3. This Act takes effect only if a specific
159- appropriation for the implementation of the Act is provided in a
160- general appropriations act of the 85th Legislature.
161- SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
87+ SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
16288 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
16389 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
16490 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
16591 Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
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