AN ACT CONCERNING ACTIVITIES OF THE COUNCIL THAT MONITORS THE TEMPORARY FAMILY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROGRAM.

AN ACT CONCERNING ACTIVITIES OF THE COUNCIL THAT MONITORS THE TEMPORARY FAMILY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM AND EMPLOYMENT SERVICES PROGRAM.

This bill requires the council that monitors the Jobs First program (which consists of the Temporary Family Assistance (TFA) cash assistance and Jobs First Employment Services (JFES) programs) to conduct a study of each component. It also requires the council to submit a report, separate from the study, on each program's status.

The bill also requires the commissioners of the departments of Social Services (DSS) and Labor (DOL) to report to the Human Services Committee on both programs.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2009, except that the provision requiring the council report on the TFA and JFES programs to the legislature and the state's Congressional delegation is effective upon passage.

The bill requires the council, by September 1, 2009, to study the status of the TFA and the Jobs First Employment Services (JFES) programs. The study must examine, at a minimum, (1) the characteristics of program participants, including their income levels; (2) the effects of these programs on participants; and (3) areas of both programs that need improvement. To do its work, the council must (1) review information that DSS and DOL submit; (2) hold informational forums; and (3) seek information from the public, including municipal officials, educators, program participants, labor union officials, health care providers, and advocates for low-income families.

The bill also requires the council, no later than February 1, 2010, to submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly and each member of the state's Congressional delegation, concerning the current status of the TFA and JFES programs. The report must include:

1. the number of families whose income is at or below the federal poverty level (FPL) and the effects of minimum wage employment on them;

2. the number of families with income at or below 75% of the FPL, and a description of the effects of TFA on these families;

3. proposals for improving the two programs; and

4. identification of state and federal programs that help reduce the number of families living in poverty, encourage economic development, and help working families and individuals achieve self-sufficiency and proposals for improving these programs.

The bill requires the DSS and DOL commissioners, by January 1, 2010 and quarterly thereafter, to submit a report to the members of the Jobs First Monitoring Council and Human Services Committee concerning the TFA and JFES programs.

1. specific information about Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), including (a) the number of families that receive TFA and a description of family composition by number, gender, race, ethnicity, and age; (b) the number of program (presumably TFA) applications, the action taken on each, and reasons for assistance denials; (c) the number of families whose cash assistance has been terminated and the reasons for such; (d) the number of families who have received an extension of TFA beyond 21 months, the number of months that each of them has received cash assistance, and the reason for the most recent extension; (e) the number of families with earned income receiving cash assistance and the amount of each family's income; (f) the number of families receiving TFA who have received one sanction (for non-participation in their JFES plan) and the number of families with multiple sanctions; (g) the number of families receiving Safety Net services; and (h) the number of families that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits who report having no income;

2. specific information about JFES participants, including (a) the number of participants receiving TFA; (b) the same demographic information on participants that is provided for TFA clients plus education level; (c) the number of participants enrolled in each employment service; (d) the amount of wages receive by each program participant as a result of participating; (e) the number of participants that the DOL has identified as having one or more barriers to employment and a break down by type of barrier (e. g. , transportation); and

3. TANF expenditures.

In 1996, Congress passed the TANF provisions in the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act. Among other things, this legislation replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) entitlement with a block grant, giving states a great deal of flexibility in designing their welfare to work programs.

Connecticut's main TANF expenditures cover the Jobs First program. DSS administers the TFA program, which provides time-limited cash assistance to needy families, and the DOL helps those families receiving TFA who can work (non-exempt) find jobs, including providing job search skills. Half of the state's non-exempt TFA recipients must be engaged in at least 30 hours of work activities per week.

The Jobs First Monitoring Council was created in 1997. It meets regularly when the legislature is not in session. At most meetings, DSS and DOL update members on the activities in their respective programs. Additionally, DOL publishes a monthly report, At A Squint, which provides demographic information on JFES participants, including average wages, types of work activities in which participants are engaged, and barriers to completing a JFES plan.